


Swiss Disaster

by Screamscaro



Series: Swiss Disaster Series [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angela deserves everything, Angela’s father can do better, Angela’s parents are alive, Angst, Bilingual, Domestic, Drama, F/F, Family, Family Drama, Fareeha is a nervous wreck, Fluff, German, Humor, In-Laws, Marriage, Meeting the Parents, PTSD, Post-Recall, Smut, Switzerland, Wedding, former soldier, slight racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 04:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16653874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Screamscaro/pseuds/Screamscaro
Summary: Freshly Engaged and on their first vacation in Switzerland, there’s nothing that could ruin Fareeha and Angela’s time together.. Well, that’s what the Egyptian thought.Meeting the in-laws for the first time can always be nerve wracking, but nothing could have prepared the former soldier for this special mission. Surrounded by new people, foreign words and odd-sounding food, Fareeha tries to maintain her optimism and pride.. as well as her sanity.“Willkommen in der Schweiz, mein Schatz!”





	1. Welcome to Switzerland

**Author's Note:**

> My first Overwatch fanfiction, yayy!
> 
> This is inspired by Meet The Parents, but the story will be different in many ways, so it’s not a recreation of the movie.  
> Also, Angela’s parents are alive in this story.  
> Don’t take everything too seriously and have fun reading! I hope you’ll like it :)

“Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned off the Fasten Seat Belt sign and you may now move around the cabin. However we always recommend to keep your seat belt fastened while you’re seated. In a few moments, the flight attendants will be passing around the cabin to offer you hot or cold drinks as well as...”

Fareeha stretches her arms as a big yawn exits her body, before resting her head against her seat and closing her eyes.  
It’s only a four hour flight, but getting a little sleep sure won’t hurt. 

“Tired?”

A smile starts to form on the egyptian’s lips when she feels fingers massaging her scalp through her messy hair.  
She opens one eye to see blue orbs gazing warmly at her.

“Not really”, she mumbles quietly, trying to wrap her arms around the body next to her, “I just realized that now I can finally relax for a bit. We don’t have to think about work or Overwatch or anything actually. The only thing that matters is us.”

Angela giggles quietly when strong arms try to pull her closer, almost lifting her out of her seat.  
“You’re so cuddly lately”, she says with a chuckle, but doesn’t fight the embrace.  
“I can’t help it”, Fareeha mumbles, resting her cheek against Angela’s head.

Her eyes fall on the silver band on the hand resting on her lap and Fareeha can’t help but grin widely.  
It still feels so surreal.  
Here she is, a former soldier of the egyptian army who is now security chief of Helix international, engaged to the love of her life, who is not only an amazing and talented surgeon and biologist, but also the greatest and most loving human being she has ever met, and they are on their way to Switzerland to celebrate their engagement.  
Fareeha still can’t believe that this is all happening.

“You’re dreaming, Schatz..”, Angela says, looking up at her fiancée when she notices her zoning out, “What’s on your mind?”  
The woman blinks, now back in here and now.  
She takes Angela’s hand, stroking it with her thumb, but still not taking her eyes off the ring.  
“Nothing”, she says, not even trying to suppress the smile, “I’m just so happy.”

 

The flight is very calm and after a short while they reach the airport. It is summer, July, and it is beautiful.  
Only a few white clouds are wandering across the sky, allowing the sun to bathe the country in its warm light.

After getting their luggage and rental car, both women find themselves on a road through the city of Zürich.  
Fareeha is amazed by the European architecture, the old buildings made of stone and wood, the churches and the many Lakes.  
Angela smiles at the sight of her hometown, which is literally blooming. Zürich has always been a part of her and seeing it so lively and busy on this summer day just warms her heart. Especially when it manages to make the woman next to her just as happy.

“It’s a little different from Giza, hm?”, Angela asks, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a dumbfounded Fareeha, who tries to manage watching the traffic while looking around like a kid in a toy store.  
“It’s beautiful”, she says as the car crosses a bridge, “The buildings look so awesome! Everything looks so historical.”  
“Yeah, many houses are hundreds of years old. Just wait until we’re a little further away from the city, where my parents live.”

Angela turns her head when silence is the only response she receives.  
Fareeha takes a deep breath, her eyes now focused on the street ahead instead of her surroundings.  
Placing her hand on the woman’s shoulder, Angela starts digging her thumb into the tense muscle.

“There’s no need to be nervous, Liebling”, she starts, “You’re amazing, they’re going to love you.”  
“I’m not nervous, don’t worry about me”, Fareeha says, glancing over at the blonde and smiling at her, “I bet everything’s gonna be fine. I hope you only told them good things about me.”  
“Of course”, Angela answers, returning the smile, “It was pretty easy considering there only are good things.”  
Fareeha rolls her eyes and looks away, trying to hide the blush forming across her cheeks.  
“Ya amaaar.. What about the messy sleeping thing?”  
“I’ve been able to live with that, haven’t I?”  
Angela grins and leans back against her seat.  
She doesn’t miss the twitching coming from Fareeha’s side though, her leg shaking slightly, but she doesn’t call her out. 

The rest of the car ride is pretty relaxed, they watch the scenery of the swiss nature and listen to the songs on the radio.  
Fareeha doesn’t understand the german lyrics, but hearing Angela humming and quietly singing along delights her.  
After almost two hours they reach a neighborhood in a town named Interlaken.  
Angela was right, this place certainly looks different from Zürich City.  
Lots of oaks and firs cover the landscape and the mountains seem to be so close, Fareeha wants to reach out and try to touch them.

“Here we are, this is it!”, Angela exclaims with a squeal, “This is where I grew up!”  
Fareeha chuckles, her fiancée’s happiness too contagious to resist.  
Before she can even park the car, Angela has already opened the door, waving her hand wildly at a traditional Swiss house, or to be exact, at the two people standing in the doorway.

“Spätzchen!”  
“Hallo, Mama, Papa!”  
As soon as the car comes to a hold, she gets out and walks towards the couple who immediately wrap their arms around her.  
“Angela, wir haben dich so vermisst! (We missed you so much!)”, the tall man says while his wife cups her daughter’s face.  
“Lass dich ansehen, Sonnenschein. Du siehst so wundervoll aus, du strahlst ja förmlich! (Let me look at you, sunshine. You look wonderful, you’re literally beaming!)”  
“Ich hab euch auch vermisst, so sehr! (I missed you too, so much!)”, Angela says, letting out a happy sigh before she turns around to face the car, “Da gibts jemanden, den ich vorstellen will. Fareeha! (There’s someone I’d like to introduce.)”

Fareeha closes the trunk of the car, silently saying a prayer when she hears her name being called. Trying to hide her nervousness, she forms a confident smile and straightens her back, before walking towards the entrance of the house, her knuckles turning white from her grip on the luggage.  
“Mama, Papa, this is my fiancée, Fareeha Amari!”  
Walking up the stairs leading to the door, she places one of the suitcases on the ground. 

Angela and her mother look so much alike, the same statue and height, a friendly face with a small nose and rosy lips and blond hair, even though her mother’s is a little lighter, almost silvery. The only obvious difference is the older woman’s brown eyes, that still manage to shine as bright as Angela’s light ones.  
She’s got her father’s blue eyes. He’s a big man, a little taller than Fareeha, with dark grey hair. 

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Ziegler, Mr. Ziegler.”  
Smiling politely she offers them her now free hand.  
Mrs. Ziegler stares up at Fareeha, her eyes wide.  
“Oooh, schau mal Hannes! (Look at that!)”, she exclaims with amazement in her voice, pointing at the tattoo underneath Fareeha’s eye, “How interesting. It looks so.. so.. What’s the word again..”  
“Bold? Daring? ... Reckless?”, Angela’s father suggests, looking at Fareeha. His English seems to be way more fluent compared to his wife’s strong accent.

The egyptian is still standing with her hand outstretched, not giving into the awkwardness of the moment.  
Mrs. Ziegler claps her hands together, gasping.  
“Stoic! It looks so stoic!”  
She laughs lightly and gives Fareeha a hug, completely ignoring the offered handshake.  
“Wilkommen in der Schweiz, Va.. Variha? (Welcome to Switzerland!)”  
“Fa-ree-ha”, Angela pronounces, smiling at how affectionate her mother is.  
“Faa-ree-haa..”, the woman repeats, pulling away from the hug to take a better look at her future daughter in-law, who seems a little tense under everyone’s eyes.  
“It’s so nice to meet you, Fareeha! Don’t call me Mrs. Ziegler, my name is Alva. And this is my husband Hannes.”

Fareeha turns towards Angela’s father and shakes his hand.  
“Pleasure to finally meet you, Sir”, she says, forcing herself to be standing straight again after bending down to hug Alva.  
“Nice to meet you too, Miss Amari”, he says, nodding his head, “You’ve got a good grip, firm handshake.”  
Fareeha nods and forms a crooked smile, not really knowing how to respond.  
“Um, d-danke..”, she thanks him with her best german, “You too..”  
Fareeha mentally slaps herself.  
Hannes keeps nodding and shaking her hand, none of them knowing what to do next.

“Let’s get your luggage inside, come on”, Alva announces and in that moment Fareeha just wants to kiss her for saving the situation.  
“Alright!”, she agrees and picks the suitcase up again, following Angela and her parents when they walk inside.

It’s an old house, it’s big and spacious and the old furniture and the many pictures and other decorations give it a cozy feeling.  
Angela and Fareeha walk along a wall covered with photos of the Ziegler family.

“Oh man, it’s really been ages since I’ve last visited, but just being in here makes me feel like it was just yesterday”, Angela says, smiling at the memories.  
“Oh my gosh..”, Fareeha whispers in awe before she takes a closer look at a specific photo, “Is that you?”

In the photo she sees a little blond girl with a wide grin, her hair so light that it’s almost white, wearing a backpack that’s way too big.  
Angela follows Fareeha’s glance and chuckles.  
“Yeah, I must have been around 5 or something. My first day of school.”

“Angela, Schatz, stellt doch bitte eure Sachen ab und setzt euch! Ich hab Abendessen gemacht! (Please put your things down and have a seat! I made dinner!)”, Alva shouts from the kitchen before she carries several plates to the big wooden table in the center of the room.

“My mother made us something to eat, come sit down”, Angela tells her fiancée before walking to the table.  
“Ooh, neat! I was already wondering where that good smell was coming from”, Fareeha says, sitting down next to her.  
“I figured you would be hungry after that flight, so I made Angela’s favorite from when she was little”, Alva says with a smile before she places a big pan and a bowl in the middle of the table.  
Angela gasps in delight.  
“Oh my god, I can’t even remember the last time I had that!”

Fareeha leans forward, trying to figure out what’s in front of her.  
“What is that?”  
There is something pasta-like in the bowl, but it seems a little doughier. In the pan is some kind of chopped meat with a creamy sauce, filling the room with its delicious smell.

“It’s Spätzle with Geschnetzeltes, Liebling”, Angela tells her as she puts the doughy noddles and some of the meat with the sauce on Fareeha’s plate, “It’s really good!”  
Fareeha stares at Angela’s mouth, trying to figure out what on earth she just said.  
“... Geshnelzete?”  
Her fiancée tries not to laugh at Fareeha’s attempt, but before she can repeat it, her father sits down in front of the couple.  
“Züricher Geschnetzeltes with Spätzle”, he says, looking at Fareeha, “Not that hard to pronounce.”

The egyptian laughs, shaking her head, but slowly stops when she notices that Hannes doesn’t seem to find it as funny as she does.  
“Haha.. Ha.. Um, what was it again? Geshnelz-?“  
“Geschnetzeltes with Spätzle”, he repeats, looking directly into her eyes.  
Fareeha starts sweating, trying to mimic his lips.  
“Ge-.. Geshnelzete with Spatzle?”  
“No. Gesch-“  
“AAAALright, this is getting ridiculous..”, Angela interrupts them, loading her plate with the food.  
Alva glares at Hannes before she sits down to join them.  
“Hey, I was only trying to help the new member of the Ziegler family”, Hannes defends himself, raising his hands, “Well.. FUTURE part of the family, am I right?”  
Alva hits his arm playfully, shaking her head before she smiles at Fareeha.  
“Enjoy, I hope you’ll like it.”  
“Thank you”, she says, returning the smile. 

The room falls silent as everyone begins to eat.  
Fareeha blows some air on the steaming food on her fork before she takes a bite.  
“Wow..”, she mumbles with her mouthful before swallowing, “That tastes amazing! I really like it!”  
Angela smiles at her.  
“Right? Ugh, I really need to practice my cooking.”

“So tell me Fareeha”, Hannes interrupts them, leaning forward, “Where exactly are you from? Egypt right?”  
Caught off guard, Fareeha blinks a few times before putting on a polite smile.  
“Yeah, Giza to be exact. But I have lived, like.. everywhere when I was little.”  
“Aha..”, Angela’s father says, nodding, “So the tattoo.. Is that a religious thing or..?”  
The egyptian chuckles.  
“Well, it’s the eye of horus, it’s known in egyptian mythology, but to me it’s a sign of protection. My mother has one as well, so to me it means-..”  
“Do you ever regret getting it?”  
“Hannes!”

Alva sends her husband a look, obviously embarrassed.  
“It means a lot to Fareeha, Papa”, Angela says, placing her hand on top of her fiancée’s, “She got it many years ago, and I personally think it suits her perfectly. She rocks it.”  
With that she places her hand on Fareeha’s cheek and gives her a quick kiss, making her smile softly.  
“You’re the sweetest, habibti.”

Hannes clears his throat, putting his fork down. He doesn’t seem to be done talking.  
“So you’re from Giza. And you’re in the army?”  
“Well, I used to be a soldier”, Fareeha tells him, feeling more confident now that Angela is leaning against her, “I’m security chief for Helix Security International.”  
“And you plan on following that career?”, Hannes keeps asking, “I mean, if you do you have to stay in Egypt I guess. Do you plan on settling down in Giza? That’s so far away from Angela’s family and home.”

“Well..”, Fareeha starts, feeling overwhelmed.  
“There’s so much happening at the moment”, Angela explains, “The engagement, our holiday, planning the wedding, visiting places.. We’re using this time to clear our minds so once we continue our daily life, we can focus on those things. Where we’re going to live, what we’re going to do.. you know?”  
Hannes nods and looks at his place while he continues to eat quietly, leaving the topic alone, but Fareeha knows he’s not satisfied with his daughter’s answer.

 

“Schatz, you’re so tense it’s getting ridiculous..”, Angela sighs, rubbing her fiancée’s arm. The egyptian has been staring at the ceiling for god knows who long instead of cuddling up to Angela like she usually does when they are lying in bed.  
Fareeha takes a deep breath, mentally telling her body to relax.

After eating dinner and helping Alva clean up, they unpacked all their luggage and settled down in Angela’s room.  
Her parents have turned it into a guest room, but kept most of Angela’s belongings in there, like photos, trophies and her certificates and academic distinctions from medic school.  
They are so proud of her, Fareeha could tell.  
It made her feel guilty that they haven’t visited them sooner.

“He hates me.”  
Angela raises her brow at the sudden thought, looking at the woman in confusion.  
“What?”  
“Your dad”, Fareeha explains, still looking up, “He hates me.”

Angela’s frown turns into a soft and sympathetic smile.  
“Oh Fareeha..”, she mutters, wrapping her arms around her neck and stroking the back of her head, “My dad doesn’t hate you. He’s just..”  
The swiss tries to find the correct words.  
“.. Very protective.”  
That doesn’t help Fareeha at all.

“Great”, she mumbles, rubbing her forehead and sighing, “What if he ends up being protective forever and will always look at me with those ‘you stole my daughter, now I’ll steal your sanity’-eyes?”  
“Oh stop it, you idiot..”, Mercy says, kissing the stressing woman’s cheek before she makes her look at her, “He’s gonna love you. Just like my mom does, she’s completely head over heels.”

Fareeha lays on her side so her body faces her fiancée.  
“You think so?”, she says with a pout, fully knowing that it makes her loved one melt.  
Angela smiles at Fareeha’s expression, relieved that she finally starts to unwind in front of her.  
“Mhm, how could she not? She knows you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”  
Fareeha starts blushing and Angela doesn’t miss the small smile forming in the corner of her mouth. She immediately takes advantage of the situation to tease her a little further, completely knowing how much Fareeha loves being praised.

She cups her face, placing several kisses on her temple, her cheeks and her jaw.  
“You’re the most beautiful.. loving.. adorable.. strongest woman in the world..”, she says between kisses before finally placing her lips on Fareeha’s, “And I love you.. So so much, mein Schatz, and I won’t ever stop doing that.”  
“Oh, I really don’t want you to stop”, Fareeha mumbles against Angela’s lips, making the woman giggle, before returning to kiss her again, both of them deciding that there are better things to do than worrying.

After a few moments of kissing and soft caressing, Fareeha feels Angela’s hand on top of hers, gently leading it towards her chest.  
Fareeha hums contentedly as she kneads the soft flesh, enjoying the warmth of her fiancée’s body.  
She places her free hand underneath Angela’s thigh and pulls her closer, bodies flush against each other and their legs entangled.  
A soft moan escapes Angela’s mouth when the other woman squeezes her, making Fareeha grin.

“Knock, knooock!”, Alva singsangs when she opens the door to their room.  
Fareeha shrieks, almost falling off the bed when she pushes herself away from Angela, who just freezes, her face almost as red as Fareeha’s.

“Mutter, bitte!”, she sighs, sitting up.  
“I’m so sorry sweethearts..”, Alva says apologetically, smiling awkwardly, “I didn’t see anything.. well, not much..”  
Fareeha hides her face in shame.  
“It’s okay, just.. What about you actually knock BEFORE you enter, okay?”, Angela says as she fixes her shirt.

Her mother nods, not really knowing where to look.  
“Yes, of course. Um, I just wanted to say good night! If there’s anything you need, just take it, no need to ask, alright?”  
Both women nod silently.  
“... Alright”, Alva mumbles, clearing her throat again.  
Fareeha has to admit it, Alva’s perseverance is admirable. She will keep smiling like there’s no tomorrow, even in the most awkward situations.

“... What about I get us some tea?”, Fareeha asks, looking at Angela, before she gets up without even waiting for an answer, “I’ll go and make some.”  
“Um, yeah sure, thanks Schatz”, Angela says, watching her fiancée stumble past her mother to walk to the kitchen.

The Ziegler women wait until Fareeha is downstairs, before Alva looks at her daughter.  
“Sie macht dich wirklich glücklich, mein Engel, hm? (She really does make you happy, my angel, hm?)”  
Angela’s face softens visibly.  
“Ja das tut sie. Sie macht mich zur glücklichsten Frau auf der Welt. (Yes she does. She makes me the happiest woman in the world.)”  
Alva smiles lovingly, sighing happily before she frowns slightly.  
“Papa und ich, wir verunsichern deine Fareeha doch nicht zu sehr, oder? (Papa and I, we’re not unsettling your Fareeha too much, right?)”  
Angela shakes her head.  
“Nein, Nein, mach dir keinen Kopf, okay? Sie lebt sich gerade noch ein. Es ist alles noch neu für sie, aber sie fühlt sich prächtig! (No, no, don’t worry, okay? She’s still settling in. Everything is new for her, but she’s feeling perfectly fine!”

 

In the kitchen, Fareeha is close to having a nervous breakdown.  
She fills the boiling water in two mugs, almost spilling it all over the counter due to her shaky hands, before she places the kettle down and leans against the wooden surface, taking a deep breath.  
“Goddammit Fareeha..”, she mumbles to herself, feeling overwhelmed, “You’re being ridiculous.”

She stands up straight, closing her eyes for a moment.  
“Angela is right, if she loves me, so will her parents. Sooner or later they’ll realize that I’m everything they imagined for their daughter. She said so herself, I’m loving, I’m strong-..”  
“Hey, Amari.”

Fareeha almost jumps when she hears Hannes’ voice right next to her.  
He smiles at her and she’s not sure if it’s sympathetic or mocking.. or victorious?

“Mr. Ziegler..”, she says, forcing herself to look confident, “Hey, can I help you?”  
“No, no, I was just on my way to get something to drink and I saw you”, he explains, walking past her to open the fridge, “Have you and Angela made yourself at home yet?”  
“Yeah, it’s really cozy up there”, Fareeha answers with a nod, placing the mugs on a small tray, “I just made some tea for us before we go to bed.. you know.. to sleep..”  
Hannes nods slowly, not looking at her as he pours himself a glass of water.  
“Mhm.”

Watching as the man takes a sip from his glas, Fareeha doesn’t really know what to do. This is the first time both of them are alone by themselves without Angela’s or Alva’s reassurance.  
A big chance.. or maybe a mistake?

“You know Sir, I just wanna make sure you know how much your daughter means to me and how much it actually means to her that we finally got to meet and-..”  
“I know that you and Angela are both involved with Overwatch again”, Hannes interrupts her, placing his glas on the counter as he eyes her.

His words hit her like a shot.  
“But.. How.. How did you..?”  
Nobody except the agents of Overwatch know about the recall, or at least that’s what Fareeha thought.  
After the disbanding of the organization years ago the United Nations put a law into place, stating that any and all actions taken by former Overwatch agents that correspond with Overwatch's overall mission and specific operational remit are illegal and punishable by prosecution, also known as the Petras Act.  
It is extremely dangerous if anyone besides the people who used to be involved knows about the whole situation, which is why it was kept top secret.

“I’m not an idiot, Miss Amari”, Hannes continues, “My daughter is engaged, of course I do my research about the potential lucky one.”  
Fareeha cringes at his use of the word ‘potential’.  
“Fareeha Amari, daughter of Ana Amari, Jack Morrison’s second in command and one of the strike team’s best soldiers. You spent most of your childhood at the headquarters and after you joined the Egyptian army, you were well placed to join the ranks of Overwatch, but you never had the opportunity since it was shut down. So you joined Helix Security International instead, where you became security chief.  
And you met Angela in hmm.. in Giza? During your time in the army? What a coincidence that Angela used to be Overwatch’s head of medical research, what a coincidence that she still refuses to come back to Switzerland to work at my hospital again..”  
He looks straight into her eyes.  
“What a coincidence that one of Overwatch’s most promising offspring and their best doctor met years after its fall.. Don’t you think?”

Fareeha doesn’t know what to say.  
Of course he’s right, there’s no way she is going to talk herself out of this. 

“Sir, please know that it was each our own decision to join, neither of us has pressured the other one..”  
“Miss Amari, in this family we all have the same view when it comes to conflict. The way Overwatch has handled any kinds of threats with violence is just completely unjustifiable. It was shut down for a reason, and we know that Angela thinks so as well.”  
“I know that Angela is against violence and war. And that’s why she joined Overwatch, because it gives her the opportunity to help the people around the world, to bring peace with the other agents. It is Overwatch’s duty and purpose to end conflicts and to protect the people, that’s what we stand for.”

Hannes nods as he listens, raising an eyebrow at his next words.  
“And to bring peace Overwatch recruits former soldiers who fly around in heavy armor and bomb people to pieces with rocket launchers?”  
He chuckles, crossing his arms.  
“Alright then..”

Fareeha decides that it doesn’t make sense to argue with him. It is their first day after all and the plan of this whole trip was to finally form a kind of bond with the Zieglers, not to open bigger gaps.  
She picks up the tray, balancing the tea before she turns around.

“Well, Angela and I are on vacation now to get a small break from work and other things so we don’t really think too much about Overwatch at the moment. We’re just glad that we get to free our heads to finally focus on us now”, she says, walking around the kitchen island to get to the entrance without crossing Hannes’ space.  
“I understand”, he says with a nod, “I don’t want to ruin this for her, she always works so hard, she deserves a break. And where else should she be other than her home?”

Fareeha nods, glad that he doesn’t force another argument on her.  
“Okay.. I’ll be upstairs with Angela, good night sir.”  
“Oh, one more thing, Miss Amari.”

Fareeha was just about to walk upstairs before she turns around to look back at the man.  
“I know that you two have been dating for quiet a while and I know that it’s normal for couples to be intimate and to have sexual relations before they are actually married soooo...”  
Fareeha closes her eyes in embarrassment and tries to force herself not to blush, but she can already feel her face heating up.  
“I would really appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself while you’re under my roof, understood?”

The Egyptian nods, swallowing hard as she tries to ignore the scene that happened only a few minutes ago.  
“Yes sir.”  
“Good”, Hannes mumbles, grinning as he pats her shoulder several times like friends do, but Fareeha can feel the force behind the gesture, making her grip the tray in her hands, “Good night Amari, and tell Angela I wished her sweet dreams!”  
“Yes sir”, she repeats before she heads upstairs, “Good night.”

She is about to open the door to their bedroom when she hears his voice one more time.  
“This house is pretty old, we have thin walls here!”


	2. Hike like an Egyptian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick upload because the sweet feedback I received made me so damn happy and really motivated me to keep writing! Thank you guys so much!
> 
> Let’s see how this goes..

Fareeha can still feel the sleep in her eyes as she walks downstairs, looking for Angela.  
Waking up alone without anyone to cuddle up to, she decided to get up early, even though she was still tired and exhausted from all the things that were happening yesterday.  
She walks through the doorway, only to be greeted by several pairs of eyes. 

“Oh, Guten Morgen Fareeha!”, Alva greets her with a smile, a cup of coffee in her hands, “Come have a seat!”  
“Morning Schatz”, Angela says, pulling the chair next to her back so Fareeha can sit down.  
The woman runs her hand through her hair in a desperate attempt to fix her bed head as she sits down next to Angela, who kisses her cheek softly.  
“Guten Morgen”, She says as well, looking at all the people at the table, who not only look way more awake than Fareeha, but are also dressed in actual clothes compared to her tank top and sleep shorts. 

Of course there’s Angela and her parents, but also another woman with short blond hair, next to her a man with a slim but muscular build, an older couple, around the age of Angela’s parents, and an elderly woman, who must be in her nineties, sitting in a wheelchair.   
They all watch as Fareeha sits down, making the Egyptian feel like an attraction at the zoo.

“Fareeha, this is my sister Nora and her husband Alexander”, Angela introduces Fareeha to the young couple next to them, who smile at her and shake her hand.  
“Nice to meet you Nora, Alexander”, Fareeha says, feeling relieved when she feels how open hearted they greet her.  
“Nice to meet you too, Fareeha!”  
“Then we have my aunt and uncle, Matilda and Uwe.”  
They both sit on the other side of the table, so they just wave.  
“Nice to meet you!”  
“And grandma Josephine”, Angela says, looking at the old woman who just nods slowly, her friendly face not changing at all.  
Fareeha smiles and returns the nod.  
“Hello!”

“Fareeha, some coffee?”, Alva asks her, already pouring her a cup and handing it over.  
“Danke”, she thanks her, taking a sip and hoping that it’ll help her wake up somehow.  
Nora moves her chair a bit so she can face Fareeha a little better.  
“I’m so happy I finally get to meet the woman who has swept my sister off her feet! How are you liking Interlaken so far?”  
“Oh, it’s so beautiful here”, Fareeha answers, taking a piece of bread, “It’s completely different to the places I have visited before.”

“Have you been to a lot of countries?”, Alexander asks between bites, watching the women interact.  
“Oh yeah”, she says, raising her brow, “When I was little my mom.. She used to travel a lot due to her job which gave me the opportunity to see the world.”  
She can feel Hannes’ look coming from the corner of his eyes.  
“That’s so interesting”, Nora says, sighing, “I wish I had traveled more when I had the chance, but that’s not so easy once you have kids.”

“Oh, you have kids?”, Fareeha asks with surprise.  
Angela nods, smiling.  
“My two nephews, Luis is the older one, he’s eight, and Eli is almost a year old.”  
“Yup!”, Nora says with a smile before she looks back at Fareeha, “And they are gonna be your nephews too.”  
“Wow..”, The Egyptian grins brightly, “That’s.. amazing! When can I meet them?”  
“The next time we’re here we’ll take them with us, Luis is in school at the moment and Eli is at daycare”, Nora explains.

“Do you plan on having kids?”, Alexander asks.

The whole table is silent as everyone watches both women look at each other, none of them knowing how to answer.   
They haven’t really talked about children, the topic just hasn’t crossed their minds yet, at least that’s what Fareeha thinks.  
“Um, well..”, Fareeha starts, trying to break the tension, but she sees how Angela still seems to struggle with finding the right words, “I mean.. Maybe?”  
The table doesn’t seem to be satisfied with an answer like that.

“Fareeha and I are both very busy women at the moment”, Angela explains, looking at her cup as she refills it with more coffee, “We just haven’t really thought about it yet, but I mean.. We have each other and I think that’s what matters at the moment.”  
“Well, not to put any pressure on you, Angie dear, but you’re turning 38 in a few days, maybe you should start thinking about it before you have missed your chance”, her aunt mumbles, looking at her niece.  
The only sound coming from the ticking cuckoo clock on the wall doesn’t help the situation.  
At all. 

Nora clears her throat, placing her hands on the table before she smiles at her sister.  
“So for how long have you two been engaged?”  
Fareeha has to admire the Ziegler genes, always able to escape awkward situations like a pro, Nora must have gotten it from Alva. 

“For almost two months now, right Schatz?”, Angela asks, looking at her fiancée.  
“Yup, exactly one month and twenty three days”, Fareeha says, her smile slowly returning to her face as she thinks about that special day.

Alva nods as she listens to her.  
“How exactly did you propose, if you don’t mind me asking. You haven’t really told us yet and neither has Angela.”  
Angela takes Fareeha’s hand, stroking it with her thumb as she leans against her, looking up at her with a soft smile.  
“Why don’t you tell them?”

Fareeha’s heart flutters at Angela’s affection, lulling her into a cloud of happiness and pride.  
“Well.. I have always known that she was the one, as sappy as that sounds.”  
The blonde lets out a little chuckle.  
“But I wasn’t sure when the time was right to actually ask her. I didn’t want to rush anything, but I also didn’t want to make her think I was scared of commitment. One night during a mission.. It was a very close call.. and..”

She stops for a moment.  
Memories flood her mind, images of that night in Egypt.

“I lost many people.. Good people..”

Hannes raises an eyebrows when he notices Fareeha’s sudden change.  
Angela rubs her arm in a comforting manner, knowing that Fareeha tries her best to keep it together.

“That night was a turning point for me”, Fareeha continues, looking at Angela’s hand on hers, “We are not immortal, life is short.. And it can be beautiful. After that mission I knew what I wanted, what I needed.. And I knew what to do.”

~

Fareeha carries the two bowls outside to the rooftop terrace of her apartment.  
“Oh my goood”, Angela groans when she smells the sweet dessert, turning her head to watch her girlfriend walk towards her, “Your Umm Ali will be the death of me.”  
Fareeha grins, placing the bowls on the small table in front of the couch where Angela is sitting.  
“It would be a happy death.”  
“Mhm, a very delicious one.”

It is already late, almost midnight. The many lights, shining bright enough to even tint the great pyramids at the edge of the city in a warm color, and the moon give Giza a beautiful glow, allowing to show the city’s much underrated beauty.  
The cloudless sky reveals thousands of stars, only making the scenery in front of the women’s eyes more breathtaking.

Fareeha sits down next to Angela, pulling the smaller woman into her lap.  
“I’m so happy you’re finally back with me”, she mumbles into the crook of her neck, holding her close, “You spend way too much time at work, it’s not fair! It’s not your fault that you’re the best!”  
Angela chuckles, taking one of the bowls and placing it on her thigh as she starts eating.  
“Well, I’m here now, so no need to be grumpy, alright Schatz?”  
She takes Fareeha’s hand, giving it a kiss before she places it back in her lap.  
“Mkaaay..”

After finishing Fareeha’s homemade egyptian pudding, Angela stretches her arms, making herself more comfortable leaning against the tall woman.  
“How was the last mission?”, she asks, playing with the golden beads in Fareeha’s hair.  
Fareeha looks down at her hands, trying to ignore the dark pictures that cross her inner eye.  
“It was.. tough”, she starts, holding Angela close not only to show affection, but also to comfort herself.

Angela looks up at her face, trying to read her mind.  
“Talk to me, Liebling.”  
Fareeha sighs, looking at the city in front of her.  
“Of course, with every fight comes great sacrifice, I mean, it is our duty to serve and protect the people with our lives”, she starts before she shakes her head, “But.. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. The world can be cruel.”  
Angela nods, following Fareeha’s gaze.  
“I know what you’re talking about..”

They both sit in silence for a while.  
It is a very comfortable silence, a very peaceful and soothing silence.   
Angela notices how Fareeha’s look turns into a stare, she knows that she’s zoned out.   
The Swiss woman places her hand on Fareeha’s face, making her turn her head towards her, before she gives her a soft smile.  
“Stay with me, Fareeha. You’re not there, you’re here. With me.”

Fareeha looks into her eyes and it feels like everything stops.  
Her heart starts pounding faster and she feels herself getting emotional at the thought of her dead comrades, Angela’s bittersweet look and most importantly, her unconditional love.

She takes a deep breath before she smiles a bit, holding Angela closely.  
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, habibti.”  
Angela grins and closes her eyes as she rests the back of her head against Fareeha’s chest, underneath her chin.

“You know..”, Fareeha starts, wrapping her arms around Angela’s body and placing them in her lap, “After the mission, I talked to mom.”  
Angela nods softly, humming in response.  
“What did you two talk about?”  
Fareeha swallows thickly, knowing that this is finally happening. 

“A lot. I really needed to speak to her, to share my thoughts, to hear her advice. She has so much life experience. We talked about my future, about what I want in life, and what she said only encouraged me to go through with what I had in mind.”  
“And what do you have in mind?”  
Fareeha’s lips form a crooked smile before she kisses the top of Angela’s head.  
“Open your eyes.”

And so she does.  
As soon as Angela’s eyes are open, she sees Fareeha’s hand holding up a small box with a diamond ring inside of it.  
Fareeha feels Angela’s body freeze before she starts shaking. 

“Whenever I’m at my worst, when it seems like everything’s falling apart and when things get ugly, when I get ugly, you see beauty in me. Whenever I feel lost, when I feel like I’m drowning in dark thoughts and I can’t escape, you are there with me and help me get through it.”

The Swiss woman sits up and turns her body, staring at Fareeha in disbelief and surprise.

“My mom and I talked about my future, but what do we mean when we talk about the future?”, Fareeha continues, looking right at her girlfriend, “The future starts now. And I don’t want to imagine a future without you, I just can’t.”

Angela shakes her head slightly. She tries to find any words, but no sound escapes her mouth.

“I love you, Angela”, Fareeha says, taking Angela’s hands with her free one, “And I would be honored to call you my wife.

She smiles when Angela places her hand in front of her mouth and tears start to form in the corner of her eyes.

“Will you marry me?”

The tears start falling when she nods her head and a small sob escapes her mouth.  
Fareeha’s smile grows in size as she takes the ring out of the box to slide it on Angela’s finger.

“Oh mein Gott..”, Angela gasps, lifting her hand to look at the ring before she looks up at Fareeha with teary eyes, “Ich liebe dich so sehr, mein Schatz, oh Gott..”  
Fareeha wipes her eyes, trying not to start crying as well, but she laughs as soon as her emotions take over and the tears start running.

“You’re crying, Fareeha, it’s okay”, Angela says between sobs, followed by a giggle.  
“Shut up, so are you!”, the Egyptian defends herself before kissing her fiancée softly but passionately.  
“Ya Hayati, I cannot wait to start my future with you.”

~

Alva smiles softly, beaming from ear to ear.  
“Oh my god, that’s just the sweetest way to propose. You found yourself a true romantic, Angela.”  
The women look at each other with shy smiles before Angela leans in to place a quick kiss on her nose.  
“Yes, very sweet”, Hannes says, nodding with a shrug, “Not the biggest proposal, also not the most creative.. But nice, yeah.”  
Fareeha looks at the man, failing to fake a smile.  
“Thank you so much, Mr. Ziegler.”

 

After breakfast Fareeha takes a quick shower and gets dressed for the day.  
The couple wants to go outside so Angela can show her all the beautiful corners Interlaken has to offer.

The backpacks are packed, the sun is out and there to stay and the women are walking down the road towards the town.   
Fareeha is still amazed by all the green that’s surrounding them, whether it’s the big and wide grass fields or the huge trees and firs.

On their way Angela finds herself becoming nostalgic each time she recognizes certain spots of her neighborhood, whether it’s the small duck pond or the playground of her preschool. Fareeha tries to imagine a little Angela feeding the ducks at the water or sitting on the swing of the playground and it makes her feel all kinds of things, feelings she can’t quiet understand.

They hold each other’s hand as Fareeha listens to all the stories Angela has to tell and it fascinates her to learn more about her fiancée’s childhood, what kind of kid she was and how she grew up in the Swiss mountains.

“Oh my god”, Angela says as she spots a small bakery at the corner of the road, “Fareeha, I have to show you this place!”  
The Egyptian follows her across the street, reading the sign above the entrance.  
“Das Sahnetörtchen..?”, She tries to pronounce, making Angela giggle.  
“Very nice, Fareeha, very nice. When I was little I visited this bakery, like, every day!”, she explains, looking through the window of the little shop at all the different bread rolls and pastries and cakes, “I have to go inside, it won’t be long, I promise!”  
Fareeha chuckles.  
“Don’t worry about it, we have all day so no need to rush anything.”

They walk inside and immediately get greeted by two white haired women behind the desk.  
“Hallo, Guten Tag!”, one of them says, adjusting her glasses as she looks at Angela, “Wie kann ich ihnen helfen? (How may I help you?)”  
“Oh, wir schauen uns nur ein bisschen um, aber danke! (Oh, we’re just having a quick look around, but thanks!)”, Angela says with a smile, walking towards the desk, “Es ist schon so lange her. Als ich das letzte Mal hier war, war ich nur halb so groß. (It’s been so long. The last time I was here, I was only half my size.)”

The old woman leans forward, furrowing her brow as she takes a closer look at Angela’s face, before her eyes widen.  
“Großer Gott.. Bist du nicht die kleine Angela? (Great god.. Aren’t you the little Angela?)”  
Angela starts laughing, clapping her hands together in delight.  
“Ja! Ja, ja, ich war früher so oft hier, jeden Tag vor der Schule! (Yes! Yes, yes, I used to come here very often, every day before school!)”  
“Ja, ich erinnere mich! (Yes, I remember!)”, the other woman says with a smile. 

“Oooohh.. Und wer ist das? (And who is that?)”, the woman with glasses asks, looking over at Fareeha who’s looking through the shelves of cookies and biscuits.  
Angela turns around, reaching for Fareeha’s hand with a smile, before she looks back at the woman.  
“Das ist Fareeha, meine Verlobte. Wir besuchen momentan meine Eltern. (That’s Fareeha, my fiancée. We’re visiting my parents at the moment.)

Fareeha smiles when she hears her name, waving quickly.  
“Hallo!”  
The old women behind the desk grin widely, eyeing Fareeha from head to toe.  
“Na, hallo Fareeha! (Well, hello Fareeha!)”, one of them greets her, wriggling her brows at the sight of the tall woman, “Ich muss schon sagen, da hast du einen guten Fang gemacht Angela, mein lieber Himmel. (I have to say, you definitely made a good catch Angela, my oh my.)”

After buying a few cookies for the way, the couple walks out of the bakery.   
“What did they say earlier?”, Fareeha asks with her mouth full, loving the taste of the sugary treats.  
“Nothing special”, Angela says with a shrug, holding onto Fareeha’s arm, “Please just promise me you’re not into older women, okay?”  
“Weeeell, technically..”  
“I mean WAY older women, Fareeha!”

 

After reaching the town of Interlaken and walking through several little shops as well as buying way too many souvenirs for Ana and Reinhardt, Angela and Fareeha decide to go up Harder Kulm, which is supposed to give them a great view of the city.   
They could take the cable car that goes right to the top of the mountain, but Fareeha suggests that they try the hiking trail, so they can really take in the nature that the country has to offer and Angela doesn’t want to deny her this experience.

So they both find themselves, one and a half hours after they started at the bottom, in the middle of a wide meadow, both panting as they try to carry themselves and their heavy backpacks up the mountain.  
“Maybe we should’ve taken the Harderbahn after all..”, Angela says between breaths as she tries to fish for the water bottle inside of Fareeha’s backpack.  
“Aw come ooon”, Fareeha says and rolls her eyes, trying to hide the fact that her legs are actually killing her, “We’re almost at the top.. right?”

Angela chuckles, catching up with her fiancée before patting her shoulder.  
“Yeah, look up there.”  
She points to their left, where they look at a big terrace of what looks like a restaurant, only one slope away.  
“Oh thank god..”, Fareeha mutters under her breath so Angela can’t hear it, “Well, let’s go then!”

Once they reach the highest point, both of them walk to the railing of the terrace before dropping their backpacks on the ground.   
Fareeha stretches her back and takes a deep breath of the fresh alpine air.  
Angela leans against her, resting her head against Fareeha’s shoulder.  
“This is why I love coming here..”

The view is more than breathtaking.  
They can see the vast mountains around them, the water of the lakes below and a few people paragliding in the sky. It looks like a scene from a picture book.

“It’s just..”, Fareeha starts, trying to find the right words, “.. completely unreal.”  
Angela smiles at Fareeha’s amazement, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Fareeha’s cheek.  
“I’m so happy you’re here with me”, Angela says, cuddling up to her fiancée, “That we get to do these things, to experience them together.”  
“And that’s how it’s gonna be from now on”, Fareeha says, holding the shorter woman close, “That’s what I wanna do in life. Make amazing memories with my wife.”

They stand at the edge for a little longer, just admiring the view before Angela asks a young man to take a picture of them together.  
Afterwards they decide to stay at the top for a little longer and take a seat at one of the tables outside the restaurant.

A waiter hands them two menus, letting them decide what they would like to drink.  
“Ein Eistee, bitte (One ice tea, please)”, Fareeha orders, proud when her German seems to work and the waiter nods as he writes it down.  
“We also have a menu of all the beers we have here”, the waiter explains, hearing Fareeha’s accent and figuring that English would be much easier for her, as he places the list on the table, “If you would like a look.”

“Oh, thanks but, I don’t drink any beer”, Fareeha says with a smile, giving Angela the menu, “I’ll stick with ice tea.”  
“Hmmm..”, Angela murmurs, looking at the list, “Nah, I guess I’ll take water.”

Fareeha looks at her, smiling sympathetically.  
“Habibti, you know that you don’t have to choose something else just because I don’t drink alcohol. You’re back at home, drink beer if you want!”  
She chuckles as Angela seems to think.  
“Alright, alright..”, she says, raising her hands in defeat before looking at the waiter, “Ich nehme ein Eichhof, bitte. (I’ll take an Eichhof, please.)”  
“Alles klar! (Alright!)”, the waiter says with a smile, before walking back inside to get the beverages.

They sit outside for a while, talk and drink and laugh at stupid jokes, when suddenly a man interrupts their conversation.  
“Oh mein Gott.. Angela??”

Both women turn their heads, looking at the owner of the voice.  
“Neeiin (Noooo)”, Angela gasps before she stands up, “Nie und nimmer.. Adrian? (Never ever..)”  
The man nods, opening his arms to embrace Angela with a huge grin.  
“Das kann doch nicht war sein! Sieh dich an, wie wunderschön du geworden bist! (That can’t be true! Look at yourself, how beautiful you’ve gotten!)”

Fareeha takes a closer look at the man.  
He has blond hair as well, nicely styled, green eyes and a perfect smile. The way he hugs Angela, he seems to be as tall as Fareeha, and also as strong, regarding his muscular shoulders and arms. He looks like the guys they hire for shaving commercials, handsome and manly. Fareeha has to stifle a laugh when he looks at his legs though. While his upper body seems to be in perfect shape, his legs look like drinking straws, making him seem like an unproportional comic superhero wannabe.

“Es ist so schön dich wiederzusehen! Krass, dass du mich erkannt hast! (It’s so nice to see you again! Insane that you actually recognized me!)”, Angela says with a laugh before pulling away from the hug to look at Fareeha, “This is Adrian, we used to be best buds when we were little!”

Fareeha gets up and shakes his hand with a polite smile.  
“Hello, Adrian. I’m Fareeha.”  
Adrian returns the handshake, smiling at the woman in front of him.  
“Ah, hello Fareeha. You don’t seem like you’re from here, if you know what I mean”, he says with a chuckle, pointing underneath his eye, the spot where Fareeha’s tattoo would be, “Are you Angela’s friend?”

Fareeha raises her brow.  
“I’m her fiancée, thank you very much.”  
Angela laughs a little, taking Fareeha’s hand.  
“We’re actually engaged.”

Adrian takes a step back to take a better look at the two women before he starts laughing.  
“Aw man, for real??”, he says between laughs, making Fareeha tighten the grip on Angela’s hand, “Wow, that’s some news. Congratulations, Angie! I have to admit, I’m surprised!”  
“Well, thanks Adrian!”, Angela says, “We just arrived yesterday to visit my family and today I wanted to show Fareeha some of my favorite spots of Interlaken.”

Adrian nods as he listens to Angela.  
“Well, Interlaken sure has some of the most beautiful things like our lakes and our churches.. and of course the Swiss women.”  
With that he winks at her, making Angela chuckle awkwardly.  
Fareeha has to summon each and every Egyptian god in order not to roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Well anyways..”, Adrian continues, turning so he’s solely looking at Angela, “I would love to meet and catch up as long as you’re back home. It’s been so long, there’s so much to talk about. Isn’t your birthday this Tuesday?”  
“Yeah, my parents actually planned a little BBQ with the neighbors and some friends to celebrate”, Angela tells him with a nod, “You can come if you want to, I’d love to chat!”  
“Oh, I’ll definitely come”, he says with a grin, making Fareeha wonder if it’s the only expression he can form with his face.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you then!”, Angela says, giving him one last hug.  
“I can’t wait..”, Adrian mutters, placing a kiss on Angela’s cheek as he wraps his arms around her lower back, a little too low for Fareeha’s liking.  
“Wir sehen uns, Angela (See ya, Angela)”, he says before looking at the Egyptian with a nod, “Fareeha.”  
She nods at him, but doesn’t smile like she did earlier.   
“Bye, Adrian.”

When Adrian leaves, Angela sits back down, but Fareeha watches him until he disappears from her sight.  
“Um.. Schatz?”  
Fareeha shakes her head before she looks at her fiancée.  
“Yeah.. Yeah, sorry.”  
She sits down and takes her ice tea, taking a sip.  
“Is everything okay?”

Fareeha really doesn’t want to start more trouble than there already is, especially after that first day with Hannes. So she just smiles at Angela and ignores what has just happened.  
“I’m perfectly fine. Adrian seems really nice. But, I didn’t know your parents have this big BBQ planned, you didn’t tell me about that.”

Angela frowns.  
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry, Liebling. There was so much happening, I completely forgot.”  
Fareeha chuckles and takes Angela’s hands, giving her a kiss.  
“No, no, don’t worry about it. I was just surprised. I bet it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”  
Angela sighs in relief, smiling softly.  
“Okay, good.. so”, she looks at her empty glass, “Wanna hike back to the start? Or do we take the cable car?”

Fareeha pretends to think hard, making the Swiss woman giggle.  
“I think the cable car sounds perfect!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of new names, I’m so sorry haha, this chapter is mainly an introduction to all the new people, Angela’s family and her childhood “buddy”.  
> Personally, I can’t wait to publish the next chapters, it’s gonna be so much fun! 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> xx Caro


	3. A ride to remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallihallo everyone!  
> The next chapter is here and I hope you’ll like it as much as the first ones!
> 
> Have run reading :)

After a little more relaxed morning, Fareeha finds herself in the garden of the Ziegler family.  
It is a beautiful garden with lots of flowers, a big tree with a swing and a hammock attached to it, and a pavilion with lounge chairs underneath. At the end of the garden Fareeha hears the sound of flowing water, which belongs to a small stream that winds its way through the whole neighborhood. 

Fareeha has never owned a garden, neither her apartment in Giza, nor the Overwatch headquarters have this much space or greenery. Maybe she could buy some plants and flowers for her rooftop terrace, maybe even a little tree.

She looks up at the sky, closing her eyes as she lets the sun warm her face. It truly is a beautiful morning. The weather is perfect, the birds are chirping, and most importantly, there are no Swiss relatives to impress.

Fareeha sighs happily, relaxing her body before she takes off her hoodie, so she’s left wearing shorts and a sports bra. She cracks her knuckles and her neck before she starts stretching her body, breathing in and out evenly. After a few minutes of stretching her arms, sides and legs, she kneels down in the grass and gets into a plank position to start doing push ups. The familiar pull of her muscles and the sun shining on her back give her the energy she needs for the day and the safety of her usual daily routine.

Fareeha doesn’t notice the pair of blue eyes watching her from the terrace, the owner quietly smirking to herself, or the footsteps getting closer, when said person makes her way towards her.

The Egyptian groans when suddenly the weight of a person pushes her down, making her lie flat on her stomach.  
“Get down, give me twenty!”, Angela orders with a fake and really bad Russian accent, before bursting into a fit of laughter, “I’m so sorry..”

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Fareeha pushes herself and the woman sitting on top of her up again.  
“Let’s practice numbers”, she says, before lowering her body again.  
“Alright, together”, Angela agrees with a nod, holding onto Fareeha’s shoulder so she doesn’t fall down, “With me. Eins.. Zwei.. Drei..”  
“Angelaaa!”, Alva shouts from the terrace, “The market closes at noon, we have to hurry!”

“My parents and I are heading to the town to get a few things for the party tomorrow”, Angela explains, getting up so Fareeha can stand up as well, “Anything you need?”  
“Can you get me a few croissants and nuts? Oh and I need honey”, Fareeha tells her, thinking if there’s something she missed, “I’m making dessert for tomorrow.”  
“Yesss, my favorite?”, Angela asks, wrapping her arms around Fareeha’s waist.  
“Mhm”, she mumbles with a nod, kissing Angela’s forehead.

Angela on the other hand goes for a real kiss as she leans against her, tilting her head a little with no intention to pull away anytime soon.  
Fareeha hums into the kiss, holding Angela in her arms, who smiles happily against her lips.

“Angela!”, This time it’s Hannes who calls her, “Let’s go!”  
She rolls her eyes, before pulling away.  
“Gotta go now..”, Angela whispers, stroking Fareeha’s cheek. She giggles at Fareeha’s gaze, her eyes clouded with love and a dopey grin on her face.  
“I love you.”  
“I love you too, Habibti.”

 

After half an hour of more push ups and sit ups, Fareeha walks back inside to get herself something to drink. She opens the fridge and takes out a cold water bottle before taking a few big swigs. Leaning against the counter she sees herself in the mirror on the other side of the room. She stands up straight to flex her muscles, smiling at her reflection with confidence.  
“Eat this, Adrian..”

She shakes her head at her own ridiculousness and chuckles before her eyes land on the small brown wallet on top of the kitchen counter.  
“Hm?”  
She picks it up before inspecting it carefully.  
“Isn’t that Angela’s?”  
There’s a picture of Fareeha in her old uniform inside the wallet, right in front of Angela’s ID and her other cards.  
“Shit, this is her wallet, she must have forgotten it.”

The market.   
Fareeha remembers where it is, Angela showed her the day before when they explored the town. It is not that far, like a thirty minute walk, down the hill, across a few bridges and streets and then she should reach the market right at the big lake.  
But thirty minutes..?

Fareeha thinks before she gets an idea.  
She rushes upstairs to their room to get dressed in fresh clothes before she grabs her backpack and basically flies out of the house.  
She walks along the small walkway made of stone plates before she reaches a shed with cute little curtains hanging in the windows.

 

“Okay, this can’t be too hard”, Fareeha mumbles to herself as she finds herself on top of an old bike she found in the shed.   
It has two wheels, lights and a functioning bell, what else does a bike need to work?

Carefully she starts pedaling and balancing herself on the rusty vehicle, before she finally gains a little speed. The last time she actually rode a bike was when she was still little and desperate to find anything to do at the headquarters, but then she still had training wheels supporting her.   
Somehow she still manages to stay on the bike without falling over, a smug smile on her lips.

She knows where she has to go, recognizing the preschool and the bakery on the corner of the street. One of the old women sees her and waves at her with a friendly smile, which Fareeha happily returns.  
“This is easier than I thought”, Fareeha thinks, smiling proudly.

She can’t wait to see the look on Angela’s parents’ faces, when they see that their future daughter in-law always makes sure that their precious girl has everything she needs, that Fareeha is always ready to jump into action and that she would do anything to make Angela happy.  
She can’t stop fantasizing about a generous smile coming from Hannes and a friendly pat on her shoulder, a REAL one, and maybe even a short “Wow, how nice of you, kid.”  
Jackpot.

The road takes a small turn around a corner and, completely lost in her thoughts, Fareeha doesn’t notice the car coming towards her. The loud honking rips her out of her thoughts and Fareeha jerks the handlebars to the right to avoid the fast vehicle, whose owner screams at her with violent German swearwords Fareeha has never heard before.  
The back wheel slides to the left and Fareeha has to try her best not to fall over, but now she finds herself on a narrow, and to her horror, very steep trail through the forest.  
Fareeha’s eyes widen in panic when the bike gains speed at a rapid pace as she tries to dodge roots and branches.  
“Fuck fuck fuck!”

The rocky path ends at a different road in the middle of another neighborhood and she has to turn left and follow the steep fall so she doesn’t crash into any houses.  
Now that she’s back on a paved road she tries to use both hand brakes, but no matter how hard she tries to close her hands, the rusty metal won’t move, at all.  
“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Her only solution is the backpedal brake, so she slams her foot down with all her force, making the wheels screech against the asphalt.  
The brake creaks and rattles and before Fareeha can stop, she is suddenly able to pedal backwards.  
“W-What?!”  
The resistance of the brake is completely gone, just like Fareeha’s last hope.

With panic in her eyes she has to witness how the bike gets even faster. At this point she’s already passing the cars driving next to her and while Fareeha was only concerned a few minutes ago, now she’s just plain scared. And if things couldn’t get any worse, the bike is approaching a huge and busy intersection.. With red lights.

 

Angela and her parents are walking along the market, looking at the many stands with fruits and vegetables.   
Suddenly something fast and loud passes them with a loud scream, making the family turn their heads.  
“Was ein Idiot.. (What an Idiot..)”, Angela mumbles, turning her head back towards the vegetables. Then she freezes, her eyes wide.   
“Wartet.. (Wait..)”  
She gasps when she looks after the screaming woman, desperately trying to avoid the many people at around 50 miles per hour.  
“Das ist MEIN Idiot!! (That’s MY idiot!!)”

The blonde drops everything she’s been holding and runs after Fareeha, pushing away everything that’s standing in her way.  
“Fareeha!! Stop!! STOP!!”  
The Egyptian doesn’t hear her, still trying not to crash into anything as she jerks the handlebars around.  
“HELP!!”

The market gets more crowded the closer it is to the water, which doesn’t make it easier for Fareeha. The people jump away from the road, screaming as they’re trying to get away from the crazy reckless driver.   
“I’m sorry!! I’m so sorry!!”, Fareeha shouts when her eyes land on the fruit stand in front of her, “Uh oh..”

The poor guy standing in front of the table, who seems to be the owner of the fruits, shakes his head wildly, a terrified look on his face.  
Fareeha shakes her head just a wildly, but there’s no way she can avoid what’s about to happen.  
Jump off!!”, Angela shouts, trying to catch up with her, but it’s impossible.  
“Fareeha!! Jump off!!”

Fareeha screams at the top of her lungs as the bike collides with the fruit stand. Together with apples, grapes and strawberries Fareeha flies through the air, before she hits the cold water of the lake with a loud splash.

“Oh mein Gott..”, Angela mumbles with worry in her voice and completely out of breath as she sprints to the railing, “Fareeha??”  
She watches the surface of the lake, where all kinds of fruits are floating around before she climbs over the railing to stand right at the edge of the water.  
“Fareeha..?”

Finally the Egyptian crashes through the surface, gasping for air and swimming to the edge.  
Angela sighs in relief, kneeling down to help her out of the lake.  
“Are you okay?? What happened?”  
“The brakes broke..”, Fareeha mutters, heaving herself out of the water before she sits down next to Angela, “I wanted to stop the bike and the brakes broke.”

“Why did you even come here? I thought you wanted to have a morning for yourself”, Angela asks, pushing the wet hair out of Fareeha’s face.  
Fareeha thinks before she reaches into her pocket, taking out the wallet.  
“You forgot it at the house and I thought I’d bring it..”  
The Swiss woman smiles sympathetically.  
“Schatz..”, she says with a sigh before kissing her cheek and hugging her, ignoring the fact that her own clothes are getting wet now as well, “You really didn’t have to..”

“What was that?”  
The women look up to see Hannes and Alva standing at the railing, next to all the other curious people of the market staring at them.  
“How do you explain this, Amari?”, Hannes asks, looking down at her in frustration, “Were you trying to get everyone killed? That was extremely dangerous!”

“I.. The brakes..”, Fareeha starts, but gets interrupted by Angela’s father.  
“Whose bike was it anyway? You just took one from the shed without asking, right?”  
“Hannes..”, Alva whispers, nudging her husband’s side before taking his arm, “Wieso gehst du nicht rüber zum Laden und holst den Käse für Morgen, hm? (Why don’t you go over to the store and get the cheese for tomorrow, hm?)”

Hannes huffs, before looking back at Fareeha.  
“I’m really disappointed. Now get yourself some dry clothes and go home.”  
Shaking his head he walks away, leaving the couple and Alva alone.  
Fareeha looks down at her hands in shame. She has never felt this embarrassed before.

“So Leute, hier gibts nichts zu sehen (Alright people, there’s nothing to see here)”, Alva says, sending all the nosy bystanders away, before she helps Fareeha and Angela climb over the railing.  
“Fareeha, you’re freezing”, Angela says as she looks at her fiancée’s dripping wet clothes and her shaking body.  
“Here”, Alva says, handing Angela 30 francs, “Get her some fresh clothes and take her home, I’ll get the rest of the things.”  
“Okay”, Angela says with a nod, before wrapping her arm around Fareeha, “Come on Schatz, let’s go..”

Fareeha walks with her, wrapping her own arms around her body and trying to ignore the looks of all the strangers around her.  
“I’m so sorry..”, she mumbles quietly, completely ashamed.  
“It’s fine, Sweetie..”

 

In the evening Fareeha finds herself in the kitchen, making food together with Alva. She’s dry again, wearing her shorts from the morning and an ‘I heart Switzerland’ shirt.   
Angela and Hannes are sitting in the garden, playing backgammon together underneath the pavilion as Alva and Fareeha watch them trough the kitchen window.

“And now you just pour the milk over the nuts?”, Alva asks, holding the pot with the warm milk in her hand.  
“Yup, and then you put it in the oven for around 15 minutes”, Fareeha explains as she watches her future mother in-law make the egyptian dessert for the first time, “Yeah, that looks good!”

The woman puts the dish into the oven, before she checks the temperature and sets a timer.  
“Alright, I must say that I’m very curious how it tastes”, she says, smiling at Fareeha before she turns towards the kitchen island to continue chopping the vegetables for the potato salad.  
Fareeha follows her to peel the potatoes before putting them in a bowl.

“I’m really sorry about the way Hannes handled the situation today”, Alva says apologetically, putting the chopped vegetables in another bowl.  
“You have no reason to apologize”, Fareeha says, “It was my fault. He has every right to be mad. And I ruined the bike.”  
“Oh, that stupid old thing!”, Alva says, rolling her eyes, “I always wanted to throw it away anyway, but Hannes was convinced he could repair it somehow. He said that 15 years ago.”  
Fareeha chuckles slightly, shrugging.  
“Alright then..”

She takes a look out of the window, where Angela listens to Hannes, smiling and nodding occasionally as they take turns rolling the dices.  
“He must have really missed her..”  
“We all did”, Alva says, following Fareeha’s gaze, “Ever since she left home and the job at the hospital to join Overwatch, we haven’t really had much contact, which is kinda sad. It wasn’t easy, especially for Hannes because it meant everything to him that Angela became a doctor and worked at his hospital, but we both knew that Overwatch gave her the chance to help even more people, it gave her a real purpose. And we were and still am, so incredibly proud of her.”

Fareeha nods and that familiar feeling of guilt that hit her a few days ago comes back, sinking into her head.

“What about your parents? How is your relationship with your mother going after she.. you know.. Angela has told me that she was gone for years.”  
Fareeha chuckles a bit.   
“Oh, mom and I are doing just fine.. Well, NOW we do. It wasn’t always like that.”  
Alva nods as she starts cutting the potatoes Fareeha has peeled, listening to her.  
“When she disappeared, I was heartbroken. There’s no other way to describe it”, Fareeha continues, her smile faltering as the memories crawl back into her mind, “She was all I really had, since I didn’t get in touch with my father until, like, 5 years ago. And then she was gone and.. I don’t know..”

“It must habe been tough..”, Alva mutters.  
“It was”, Fareeha agrees, nodding softly before she starts smiling again, “But then after 5 years I got her letter, and two years after that she came back. And our relief was way stronger than our disagreements. I was just so happy to have my mom back.. And I think she was happy to be back home with her little brat.”  
Both women chuckle before Fareeha takes out her phone.  
“That’s what she looks like today.”

It’s a picture they took last Christmas. Fareeha, Angela, Ana and Reinhardt are all wearing Christmas hats as they smile into the camera, each of them wearing one of Ana’s self knitted Christmas sweaters and holding a cup of hot chocolate in their hands.  
“How sweet”, Alva says, smiling as she takes a closer look, “Oh right, you told me that she has a similar tattoo. What’s her name?”  
“Ana”, Fareeha tells her, swiping through the other Christmas pictures.  
“I would love to meet her one day”, Alva says, “I mean, we’re gonna be one big family soon.”  
Fareeha’s heart swells at Alva’s words, making her smile grow.  
One big family.

 

Fareeha looks at herself in the mirror as she closes the belt of her favorite black jeans before she reaches for the colorful button up shirt Angela got her for her last birthday.

The guests will be there in less than an hour, everything is prepared, the garden is decorated and the food is ready. Fareeha doesn’t know why she is nervous, she’s usually super comfortable among people, especially when Angela is around too, but ever since she has set foot in Switzerland, she feels like every single step seems to be on mighty thin ice.

She starts buttoning her shirt when Angela walks out of the adjacent bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body.  
“Should I wear my hair up or down?”, Angela asks, looking through the closet until she finds a beautiful summer dress.  
“Hmm, why don’t you wear it down? I think it looks really beautiful that way”, Fareeha says, looking at her fiancée through the mirror.  
Angela smiles, opening the hair tie so her soft strands flow down her shoulders.  
“Alright.”

She approaches Fareeha from behind, pressing herself against her back as she rubs Fareeha’s biceps.  
“You look so good”, she mumbles into the shirt and inhales her scent, making Fareeha smile softly.  
“Thanks, habibti..”  
Angela grins as her hands travel over Fareeha’s shoulders and down her sides, before she slides them underneath her shirt.   
“Why are you so damn attractive..”, Angela whines quietly, feeling Fareeha’s abs and making the Egyptian chuckle.

“Darliiing..”  
She turns around so she’s facing the blonde, placing her finger underneath Angela’s chin before giving her a quick kiss.  
“You’re gonna make me blush and who’s gonna take me seriously if my face is red the whole evening?”  
“I really like it when you’re blushing..”, Angela says with a sweet smile, playing with the buttons of Fareeha’s shirt before she starts opening them. 

The Egyptian laughs, placing her hand on top of Angela’s.  
“Come on, we need to get ready..”  
Without saying anything, Angela drops her towel, making Fareeha stare at her with wide eyes.  
“Or, um.. we could..”  
Angela grins, biting her lip mischievously before she opens the rest of Fareeha’s shirt.  
“Or what?”  
Fareeha closes her eyes when her fiancée starts kissing her chest and neck until she reaches Fareeha’s ear.  
“Ach Schatz, why so tense?”

Fareeha lets out a soft sigh before she takes a step back, looking at Angela.  
“I’m sorry, it’s just..”  
She groans in frustration, running her hand through her hair before she sits down on the bed.  
“Your dad said he would ‘really appreciate it’ if we didn’t have sex under his roof.”  
Angela stares at her, before bursting into a fit of giggles.  
“Fareeha, I’m not a kid anymore, my dad knows that.”  
“Yeah, but he can be really-..”

Angela silences her with a fierce kiss as she straddles her lap.  
Out of reflex Fareeha wraps her arms around the blonde so she won’t fall off and returns the kiss, letting Angela do whatever she wants to do.  
Fareeha decides that it doesn’t make sense to argue with Angela and starts to deepen the kiss, holding Angela by her waist, who lets out a soft moan in return.

“You’re so stubborn..”, Fareeha mumbles with a grin before she flips them over, making Angela laugh.  
“You love it, don’t deny it..”  
Fareeha chuckles before she places several kisses on Angela’s chest.  
“I won’t..”

Angela closes her eyes, enjoying Fareeha’s caresses.  
“Oh Gott..”, she whispers, biting her lip again, “You have no idea how badly I needed that-..”

“Hey Angela, tell Fareeha I need some help with the meat!”, Hannes says as he opens the door, not even trying to warn them how Alva did.  
Fareeha jumps up, her face on fire as she hides it in her hands.  
Angela grabs the blanket, covering her naked body.  
“Jesus, does nobody know how to knock in this household?”, she mutters in frustration, sending her father angry glares, who just ignores them as he stares down the poor Egyptian.

“... Hurry up. Both of you”, he mumbles grumpily, before he looks at his daughter, “Get dressed. Now. And for the love of god, come downstairs as fast as possible.. Before you can get any silly ideas.”  
With that he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.  
Fareeha and Angela look at each other, both silent.

Angela is the first one to move, letting out a sigh.  
“I’m sorry about that..”, she says, smiling awkwardly as she reaches for the dress.  
Fareeha starts buttoning her shirt again before she helps Angela put on the dress and closing it in the back.  
“I have the feeling your parents have some kind of ‘sexual tension’ detector..”, she says, chuckling softly.  
“Sure seems like it..”

After 5 more minutes both women are done and ready for the evening.  
“Hey Fareeha..”, Angela says, before they both head downstairs, “Just keep in mind to just be yourself, okay? I know it might be scary to meet so many new people, but I know that they’re all gonna love you and accept you and that we’re going to have a great night, okay?”  
Fareeha smiles, kissing Angela’s cheek.  
“Habibti, I’m not scared”, she says, stroking the side of her face, “And it’s YOUR night, they’re here to celebrate YOUR birthday. So don’t worry about me, okay?”

“Okay”, Angela says with a nod, smiling at the taller woman, “I love you.”  
“I love you too, Angela.”  
“One last kiss before we get into dad’s pda-free zone?”  
Fareeha grins before she leans in to kiss her fiancée softly.  
“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting serious hehe, let’s see how this party turns out, hm?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> xx Caro :)


	4. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Angela

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is (and probably will be) the longest chapter of the story, I actually thought about splitting it but decided against it in the end.
> 
> It’s time for the Ziegler’s birthday party and it’s gonna be interesting hehe.
> 
> The song I use later on is “Never going back again” by Fleetwood Mac, but I actually chose to listen to the Glee version while writing it, because of the different guitars in the end, which are a little different from the original.  
> It’s your decision whether you listen to it while reading or not, but I tried to match it with my reading tempo, so it might work for you as well.
> 
> Okay ENOUGH SAID!  
> Have fun reading :)

Fareeha watches as Angela greets the guests that are arriving with a hug and a bright smile.   
After each hug, the people look at Fareeha before she shakes their hands and introduces herself as Angela’s fiancée.  
“You’re doing really well”, Angela whispers between hugs, making Fareeha smile in relief.

“Hey, Geburtstagskind! (Hey, birthday girl!)”, Adrian greets her with his commercial grin, before wrapping his arms around Angela and twirling her around.  
The blonde chuckles slightly, returning the hug.  
“Well, it’s not my birthday yet, I have to wait a few more hours.”  
Adrian turns his head towards Fareeha.  
“Hello Fareeha”, he says, punching her shoulder playfully, “How are you?”  
“Very good, Adrian, thanks for asking”, she answers, not really knowing how to react.   
“Angela, kannst du kurz kommen? (Can you come over for a second?”, her mother calls her from the kitchen, making Angela turn around.  
“I’ll be right back”, she tells Adrian and Fareeha before she leaves to help her mother.

“Gosh, she’s something..”, Adrian mumbles, looking after her with a smile.  
Fareeha turns her head slowly, staring at Adrian in disbelief.  
“Congratulations, you got yourself the perfect woman”, he adds, raising his brow.  
“I know”, Fareeha says with a polite, but a little too intense smile, “It means a lot to me that I can call her my wife soon.”  
“You’re lucky”, Adrian says with a nod, watching Angela in the kitchen, “... very lucky.”

“Adrian!”, Hannes shouts enthusiastically, throwing his arms in the air with a big smile when he sees the blond man, “Lange nicht gesehen, mein Freund! (Long time no see, my friend!)”  
Fareeha steps aside so the men can hug each other, laughing like old friends.  
They talk for a while, completely ignoring the Egyptian besides them, but Fareeha doesn’t want to intervene. 

Before she can leave to join the other people in the garden, Hannes holds her shoulder.  
“Amari, wait..”, he says, making her face him before talking quietly, “This is very special for Angela, she hasn’t been here for so long and this birthday is supposed to be perfect. Not good, perfect.”  
Fareeha nods as she listens to him.  
“I understand.”  
“I hope you do, cause if someone ruins this, I’m gonna end that person. You hear me?”  
Fareeha swallows thickly.  
“Yes sir”, she says with a nod.  
“Good.”

Hannes lets go of her, taking a good look at the woman before he fixes the collar of her shirt.  
“Give me your best smile.”  
Fareeha forms that typical crooked smile, doing her best not to look scared or intimidated.  
“Well.. We can work with that”, Hannes says with a shrug, “Not to put any pressure on you, but all the people you’re meeting tonight will probably be at the wedding as well. Show them that Angela made the right choice.”

Fareeha almost salutes him the way Hannes talks to her, but she just nods, giving him a thumbs up.  
“I can do that, I won’t disappoint you, Mr. Ziegler.”  
With that she turns around to walk outside, not noticing how Hannes rubs his forehead and sighs.  
“Hopefully..”

“Hey, Fareeha!”, Angela calls her over. She’s standing next to Nora and Alexander, who have their sons with them.  
“Heyyy!”, She greets Angela’s sister and her husband, hugging them both before she kneels down to have a better look at the young boy,  
“You must be Luis, right?”  
The boy nods shyly, holding onto his dad’s hand.  
“He doesn’t speak english fluently, but he understands it pretty well”, Alexander explains, ruffling his light hair.  
“That’s completely fine”, the Egyptian says, holding out her hand with a friendly smile to introduce herself properly, “I’m Fareeha, nice to meet you!”  
The little boy starts smiling as well, taking Fareeha’s hand.  
“Hello Fareeha.”

“And this is Eli”, Nora whispers, rocking the sleeping baby in her arms.  
Fareeha stands back up to have a better look at him.  
“Wow..”, she whispers as well, “I have never seen such a calm baby before.”  
“Well, that’s because he’s asleep right now”, Nora says with a small chuckle, “He has a lot of power whenever he feels like it.”  
“I can confirm that”, Alexander adds, making the group laugh.  
“He’s so adorable”, Fareeha says.   
“Mhm, he really is”, Angela mutters, carefully stroking the baby’s cheek with her finger and smiling softly.

Luis looks up at his father, nudging his side.  
“Spielst du mit mir? (Can you play with me?)”, he asks quietly, but Alexander only smiles sympathetically.  
“Später, okay? (Later, okay?”)  
“Do you want to sit down somewhere, so you don’t have to carry him all day?”, Angela asks Nora, before walking over to the table.

The group follows Angela and sits down together, but Luis stands next to his father’s chair, looking at the big garden the Ziegler house has to offer.  
“Papa”, he says again and again, holding onto his arm.  
“Nach dem Essen, Luis, komm setz dich (After dinner, Luis, come sit down)”, Nora says as she makes herself and the baby a little more comfortable.  
The boy pouts and takes his soccer ball from the bag next to the table, before he walks away to sit down on the lawn.  
Angela watches as her nephew plays with the grass, ripping it out before throwing it in the air. She senses that he must be dying of boredom. 

“Fareeha”, she mutters, leaning against her, “Why don’t you play with him for a bit? I bet he’d love that.”  
Fareeha looks over at the lawn, feeling bad for the young boy.  
“Yeah sure, I’ll do that”, she says as she gets up, walking over to Luis.  
Angela leans back, watching her with a smile.

“Hey, big guy!”, she says as she approaches him, “Are you bored?”  
Luis nods silently, looking up at the tall woman.   
“Do you like soccer?”, she asks, pointing at the ball in his lap.  
Luis nods again.  
“May I..?”

Fareeha kneels down, reaching for the ball until he hands it over to her.  
“Look at this”, she says as she throws the ball into the air, before balancing it on her forehead, “Huh? What do you think?”  
She bounces it back up and uses her knee to juggle it from leg to leg.  
Luis watches her with big eyes, clapping his hands when Fareeha catches the ball with her foot.  
“Cool! Watch me!”

He takes his ball back and shows Fareeha, that he can juggle it with his feet too as he smiles proudly.  
“Wow, you’re good!”, she says with amazement before grinning, “but what iiiif..”  
With a quick motion Fareeha slaps the ball away and runs, dribbling the ball in front of her.  
Luis gasps, smiling from ear to ear.  
“You thief!”, he shouts, before running after her.  
Fareeha turns her head to look at him.  
“Oh no! You’re faster than I thought!”  
She slows down a little so Luis can catch up to her.   
“Oh nooooo!”

Angela watches as her fiancée throws herself on the ground and pretends to be completely out of breath. Luis starts laughing at Fareeha’s silly acting before he throws himself on top of her.  
“That’s what you get!”, he shouts, tackling her to the ground.  
“Okay, okay, you got me!”, Fareeha pants, stretching her body out and leaning her head to the side in dramatic defeat, “I surrender!”  
The blonde giggles to herself before she turns back to the guests to join their conversations.

 

Fareeha completely loses track of time while she plays with the boy. They run around, play with the ball and Fareeha pushes him when he sits on the swing. Luis wants to push Fareeha in return, which turns out to not be as easy as he thought.

Now they are both sitting underneath the tree, completely worn out, with grass stained clothes and heavy legs.  
Fareeha got both of them a cold lemonade before they decided to rest for a bit.

She watches how the table on the terrace gets more and more crowded. Everyone wants to talk to Angela, to ask her how she’s been doing and to talk about old times.   
Angela looks so happy, she’s vibrant and beaming, and it gives Fareeha so much joy, making her smile to herself.

She gets interrupted when Luis leans over her shoulder to burp right into her ear.  
Fareeha looks at him with wide eyes, pretending to be offended.  
“Um, excuse me? What was that?”, she says, watching Luis grin evilly. 

Fareeha sits up straight before she starts emptying her lemonade.   
“Hohohohohoho..”, Luis laughs, as he kneels in front of her, cheering her on, “Do it!”

She waits for a few seconds, smirking at Luis before she lets out a deep burp.  
They stare at each other before bursting into loud laughter, making Luis roll on his back and trying to catch his breath.

“Amari.”  
Fareeha stops laughing and turns her head to see an annoyed Hannes rolling his eyes.  
“What a way to teach the next generation the important things of life”, he says with disgust in his voice before he sighs, rubbing his forehead.  
“Come on, its time to eat.”  
“Let’s go”, Fareeha says, rubbing Luis back before they stand up and walk back to the table, where everyone is already eating and talking to each other.

Angela moves her chair a little so Fareeha can sit down next to her.  
“Seems like you two had a lot of fun!”, she says, looking at the duo.  
“Yeah we really did!”, Fareeha says with a smile before she looks at Luis, “Right?”  
“Yeah!”, he shouts, climbing onto Alexander’s lap, “Wir haben Fußball gespielt und Fangen und ich war schneller als sie! (We played soccer and catch and I was faster than her!)”  
“That’s nice”, Nora says, smiling brightly, before she prepares a plate for her son.  
Angela does the same for Fareeha.

The Egyptian notices that the table has become awfully quiet since she’s sat down. She looks around at the probably 30 pairs of eyes as she eats her food, before she decides to just smile at them.  
Seemingly satisfied, the table falls back into its earlier conversation. Fareeha doesn’t understand a word they’re saying, so she just sticks to her food, making weird grimaces with Luis every now and then.

Adrian seems to somehow be the center of attention, the way he talks and manages to entertain everyone. Even Angela laughs at some of his words. Fareeha wishes she could find out what he is saying, but her German just isn’t good enough. Instead she stays quiet, smiles awkwardly when everyone else is laughing and decides to hold herself back.

“Oooohh, look who’s up!”, Nora says as she lifts little Eli in the air, who seems to have woken up the way he’s slowly moving his arms and legs.  
Angela is completely in awe, smiling at the little baby.  
“Aww, he’s still so tired”, she says, trying to get a closer look, “Can I hold him?”  
“Of course!”

Nora places the baby in Angela’s arms, who starts rocking him gently, smiling at him.  
“Hello”, she whispers, using her finger to stroke his tiny hands, “Did you sleep well?”  
The baby yawns widely, looking up at the blond woman who’s holding him.  
“I’m your auntie”, she says with a big grin, which only grows when Eli wraps his hand around her finger.  
Fareeha watches them attentively, noticing how Angela’s eyes light up at the little human and how she seems to be completely hypnotized.

“Oh mein Gott, Angela, this is the sweetest thing ever!”, a woman on the opposite side of the table swoons over the sight before she takes out her phone to take a few photos.  
“Yes, totally!”, another woman agrees, leaning over the table to have a closer look, “Makes you get all warm and fuzzy right?”  
Angela chuckles quietly before she gives Eli a small kiss on his forehead.  
“Careful Fareeha, seems like Angie’s getting some serious baby fever over there!”, a guy at the end of the table shouts, making a few other people laugh.  
Fareeha chuckles as well before she looks at Angela, who seems to be blushing deeply.

Wait, what?  
Angela is blushing.  
Suddenly Fareeha’s smile falters, replaced by confusion.  
“Well, sooner or later it hits everyone”, the woman with the phone says with a shrug, followed by a sigh, “Hope I can find the right guy in time. I mean, we’re not getting younger. Right Angela?”  
Angela shakes her head and smiles shyly, making sure his blanket keeps him warm.

The women on the other side of the table start talking in frantic German again, looking at Angela with intention in their eyes.  
Angela on the other hand stays calm and chuckles awkwardly, trying to avert her gaze.  
Fareeha isn’t sure what they are talking about, but she notices how her fiancée seems to feel uncomfortable.

“Hey Schatz, why don’t you hold him?”, Angela asks, looking at the woman next to her, “Would you like to?”  
Fareeha gets nervous. She has never held a baby before. What if he drops him and everyone at the table will hate her forever?   
“Um, I mean..”, Fareeha starts before she looks at Eli’s parents, “Can I?”  
“Of course!”, Nora says with a chuckle.  
Fareeha takes a deep breath before she puts her fork and knife down and turns her body towards Angela, so she can take him from her.  
“Alright, here we go.”

The baby starts fussing once Angela lifts him away from her chest.  
“There..”, she mutters, placing him in Fareeha’s arms, “Everything’s fine, little man.”  
Fareeha holds him carefully as she looks at his small frown.  
“No, no”, she says, trying to put him in a comfortable position, “No frowning allowed.”

As if he understands her, Eli seems to calm down immediately, staring up at the new woman with wonder.  
“You’re meeting so many new people tonight, I’m sorry”, she says with a pout, rubbing his small head with her thumb, “There’s so much going on, hm?”  
Eli stays quiet, still looking up at Fareeha.

“Look at you”, Angela says with a smile, loving how careful her fiancée is with the baby, “All nice and sweet.”  
“I’m always nice and sweet, okay?”, Fareeha says, raising her eyebrow at Angela, before smiling softly.  
She looks back down at the bundle in her arms when he lets out another big yawn and closes his eyes.  
“Oh my god..”, she whispers in awe, “I think he’s falling asleep again.”  
“He feels safe with you”, Nora explains, taking out her own phone, “Angela, get next to Fareeha!”

Angela moves her chair closer to Fareeha and holds onto her arm. They both smile into the camera for a few photos, Fareeha checking on her new nephew almost every ten seconds.  
“I can’t believe it, he’s seriously sleeping again”, Angela mutters at the sight of the tired baby.  
“That’s what he always does”, Luis says with a shrug, stuffing his face with potato salad.  
Fareeha just smiles, feeling her heart swell and a strange warmth filling her chest.  
This vacation seriously makes her feel all kinds of new things.

“Gotta practice for the future, right Fareeha?”, Adrian asks with his loud and charismatic voice. He hits her on the back, startling the woman who didn’t even see him coming and making her jump.  
Eli opens his eyes in surprise, completely startled as well before he starts frowning again.

The baby starts wailing loudly, making everyone at the table turn their head towards Fareeha, who desperately tries to calm him down again.  
“Shhh, it’s fine, everything’s fine”, she mumbles, rocking him gently, but he’s just getting started.  
He takes a deep breath before he lets out a loud and piercing cry, his face turning as red as a tomato.  
“Here we go”, Nora sighs as she gets up.  
“I’m so sorry”, Adrian apologizes, looking as innocent as a puppy as he takes a step back, letting Nora take the baby from Fareeha’s arms.

The Egyptian can feel everyone’s eyes on her and she wishes she could either curl up and die right there at the table, or punch Adrian in the face for startling the poor little guy.  
Instead she just smiles awkwardly, trying not to look as guilty as she feels.

 

Not too long after the dinner, it’s starting to get dark outside. With every passing minute Angela’s birthday is slowly but surely approaching, and everyone is getting their presents and birthday cards.  
Adrian and Hannes light the lanterns and torches they got for the party, while Fareeha helps Alva carry all the dirty dishes inside, before they take a look at all the desserts they have.  
“Good, we have the ice cream, waffles and the.. What was the name again?”, Alva asks Fareeha, looking at the dish in front of her.  
“Umm Ali”, Fareeha says, picking it up, “Angela’s favorite!”

They place the desserts on the table, when suddenly everyone at the table starts gasping.  
“Woooow!”  
Fareeha turns around only to see Adrian carrying a huge birthday cake outside. It has several layers and many little decorations like candy roses and creative icing.  
Fareeha thinks it almost looks like a wedding cake.

“Oh my god, Adrian!”, Angela says with wide eyes when she sees the cake, “You shouldn’t have.. It must have been expensive!”  
“Anything for my Angie, you deserve it!”, he says, trying to sound as humble as possible.  
Fareeha looks at her own dessert, the bread pudding that looks as underwhelming as a golf cart next to a Porsche.

“Noch eine Minute! (One more minute!)”, Hannes announces, getting his camera out.  
Fareeha sits down next to Angela, wrapping her arms around her.  
“Are you excited, habibti?”, she asks her, holding Angela close.  
The blonde chuckles, leaning into Fareeha’s embrace.  
“It’s only a birthday, it happens every year.”  
“Yeah, but this time you’re surrounded by all your people at home, they all came to celebrate with you.”  
“I know”, Angela says, resting her head on Fareeha’s shoulder, “It makes me so happy to see them again, it really is a special birthday. But what really makes me happy is that you are here with me. That’s all I needed.”

Fareeha smiles softly, taking Angela’s hands and resting them in her lap.  
“I love you so much, Schatz”, Angela mutters, so only Fareeha can hear, “Thank you for doing all of this for me.”  
“You know I’d do anything for you..”, Fareeha mumbles back, kissing Angela’s temple, “Always.”

“Los gehts! (Here we go!)”, Hannes shouts, pushing the record button on his old camera, “Zehn.. Neun.. Acht..”  
“Let’s stand up, shall we?”, Fareeha suggests before they both get up from their chairs.  
Angela tries to hide her face behind her hands, getting shy when she sees the camera and almost everyone’s phone pointed at her.  
She smiles when she hears Fareeha counting down in German as well.  
“Vier.. Drei.. Zwei.. Eins..”

Everyone starts cheering and singing Happy Birthday as Fareeha cups Angela’s face and kisses her.  
Angela giggles into the kiss before she pulls back to give Fareeha a hug.  
“Happy Birthday, ya amar!”, she says, holding Angela close before everyone else storms towards the birthday girl.   
Fareeha steps aside, chuckling at the overwhelmed woman, who doesn’t even know where to look first.

“Who wants some cake?”, Adrian yells after hugging Angela for probably ten seconds, which were ten seconds too long for Fareeha’s taste.   
The guests cheer again before everyone starts attacking the desserts on the table.

 

The happy chattering returns after everyone gets back to their seats to eat the sweet dishes they have.   
Adrian’s cake is gone within the first few minutes, only a little icing and two or three roses are left on the plate.  
Alva’s waffles seem to please the table as well, as many dip them into the rest of the icing.   
Fareeha looks over to her bowl of pudding, which is barely touched. Only two people ate a few spoons of the Umm Ali, which were Angela and Alva.   
Fareeha herself had to try Adrian’s cake, to check if it was really as good as it looked..

It was. It really was.   
And Fareeha hates herself for literally scratching the last bit of sweet icing from her plate.

Afterwards it’s time for Angela to open her presents.  
Next to many gift cards, chocolates and of course alcohol, Angela gets an envelope with a check from her parents.  
“Oh mein Gott..”, she whispers before she looks at her father with wide eyes, “Papa, das ist..(Dad, this is..)”  
“Ist okay, Angela (It’s okay, Angela)”, he replies, nodding his head, “It’s for the future. Whether you use it for the wedding, the dress, or maybe a house.”

With that he looks at Fareeha, making sure she gets his point.  
Angela gets up to hug her parents tightly.  
“Danke, ihr seid verrückt, aber danke! (Thank you, you’re crazy, but thank you!)”  
“I really hope you’ll use it for a house though”, Hannes says, patting his daughter’s back, “Maybe somewhere here, where we get to see you a little more often.”  
Again, he looks at Fareeha, who fidgets around on her chair, trying not to look nervous.  
She’s not a hundred percent sure, but she thinks she might see a little smirk in the corner of his mouth.

Adrian gives her a huge present, wrapped in glittery golden paper. Inside Angela finds an expensive looking designer handbag with a matching wallet and a pair of earrings.  
“Those earrings are Swarovski by the way”, he says as he watches her stare at the expensive presents.  
“Adrian, you’re insane..”, she mutters before she looks at him, “I can’t accept that, this must have cost a fortune.”  
“Ahh, it’s fine Angie”, he says, patting her leg, making Fareeha boil inside, “I earn enough, really, don’t worry about it.”

Fareeha looks down at the little birthday bag in her hand, deciding whether she should just hide it and think of an excuse why the ‘real present’ hasn’t arrived yet, but before she can act, Angela points at it.  
“Aw, did you draw that yourself?”  
Angela is right, on the front is a small drawing Fareeha has made to make the brown bag a little prettier. It’s a doodle of both of them with a heart around it. Of course, Fareeha is a soldier, not an artist, and the drawing only consists of two stick figures, but Angela picks it up like it’s the most precious thing in the world, admiring it closely.

“This is so sweet, Fareeha!”, she says with a big smile, “I love it!”  
The Egyptian blushes slightly, trying to hide it from the guests.  
“It’s not much, please don’t get your hopes up too high..”, she says as she watches her fiancée unpack the bag.  
First Angela finds several packs of Egyptian tea, placing them all on the table.  
“These are from mom”, Fareeha explains.   
“How nice of her”, Angela says with a smile, “Tell her I said thank you! I love the tea from Giza.”  
The guests next to them pick the packages up, smelling them before shrugging with a raised brow.  
“Different.. but interesting.”

Angela fishes for the other thing that’s left in the bag.  
It’s a thin necklace, made of smooth gold and little pieces of wood, with a golden pendant.  
“An eye of Horus”, Angela says, taking a closer look and tracing her finger along the jewelry.  
“It’s just a little.. something”, Fareeha says, playing with her hands as she watches her, “I know you said I’m not supposed to get you anything, but.. I just saw it at the market a few days before we left for Switzerland and I thought you’d like it and carry it to remind you of me.”

Angela smiles widely, before putting it on immediately.  
“It’s beautiful”, she says, “I love it so much, Fareeha, thank you!”  
She gives Fareeha a big smooch on her cheek, before hugging her one more time.  
“It’s gonna protect you”, Fareeha explains, not being able to hide that blush anymore, smiling softly.  
“Just like you always do”, Angela mutters as she leans against her fiancée, completely ignoring everyone else around her, “I love you.”  
“I love you too.”

“Excuse me, excuse me.”  
The clinking of a glass silences the table and interrupts the couple, making everyone look at Adrian, holding his glass of champagne in his hands.  
“I have a little speech prepared for our birthday girl”, he says, grinning at Angela before he looks at Fareeha to her right, “I’m gonna speak in English because I think our special guest Fareeha deserves to understand it as well, am I right?”  
Fareeha forces a polite smile and nods slowly.  
“Thank you”, she mouths, giving a thumbs up, before she places her arm around Angela’s shoulders.

“Goooood”, he says and clears his throat, before looking back at Angela.  
“Angela. Angie. My little snow bunny.”  
Everyone at the table starts chuckling, even Angela who shakes her head, looking down.  
Fareeha doesn’t laugh.  
“I’m so happy that you are back home and I wanna thank you for inviting me to your party. I also want to thank your parents for creating such a special and amazing human being , and I wanna thank fate, because it lead me back to you.”

He forms a cheesy smile before he runs his hand through his hair.   
“When I saw you at the Harder a few days ago, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That was you, the sweet little Angie, now all grown up. You have become such a beautiful woman, a very talented woman and it makes me think, wow.. I hope I can always keep someone as perfect as you in my life.”

He makes another dramatic pause to look at Angela and the guests, before he returns to his earlier posture.  
“What in heaven’s name is wrong with this dude?”, Alexander whispers as he leans towards Fareeha, making the Egyptian snort quietly.

“Today is your birthday, Angela!”, Adrian continues, “You’re turning thirty eight today. Crazy how time flies.. I still remember your sixth birthday, where you tried to blow out the candles on the cake and ended up leaning into your own piece, smearing it all over your dress. Or your fifteenth birthday, when I bought you your first beer..”  
He looks at Hannes with a funny smile.  
“After asking good ol’ Hannes first, of course.”  
Hannes laughs with the rest of the table, pointing his finger at Adrian.  
“You know it, my friend, you know it..”  
Fareeha doesn’t really know why everyone finds it amusing, but at least Alexander agrees with her, who’s crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Adrian calms his laughter down before he looks back at Angela, who smiles at him.  
“You know, Angie, we had some good times. We used to be so close until you left Switzerland to help the world, like the hero you are. The happier I am to welcome you back in Interlaken, and to spend this night celebrating with you.”  
He raises his glass of champagne, winking at Angela.  
“Pröschtli. (Cheers.)”  
“Pröschtli!”, the whole table responds as everyone raises their glasses as well.

Fareeha reaches for her lemonade.  
“Cheers.”  
The woman across the table pours a glass of champagne for Fareeha and wants to hand it over to her, but Fareeha declines politely.  
“Fareeha doesn’t drink alcohol”, Angela tells her.  
“Whaaat??”, the woman responds with wide eyes, “Really??”  
“Yeah, no champagne for me”, Fareeha says, taking a sip from her glass.  
“Pff.. How boring..”, the woman scoffs, shrugging before she joins the conversation on the other side of the table.

Fareeha watches as everyone praises Adrian as he returns to his seat. Even Hannes sends him a friendly nod and a smile.  
She is pissed. Completely and thoroughly pissed.  
Everything Adrian does seems to please the man, and she doesn’t get why.  
She can’t let the night end like that, it should end on a good note.. to HER benefit, not his.  
“Hey Alex..”, she mumbles, pulling him over, “You gotta help me get something..”

 

A few minutes and a bit of asking around later, Fareeha walks to the same spot where Adrian stood.  
Nobody really notices her except for Angela who raises her brow in surprise.  
Fareeha smiles at her and waves quickly before she clears her throat.  
Still nobody seems to look at her, everyone is too busy talking to each other.

Fareeha clears her throat before she speaks up.  
“Um, excuse me, everyone!”  
They all turn their heads one after the other and look at the woman holding a beautiful black concert guitar in her hands.  
Hannes raises his eyebrow, but Alva smiles widely and grabs his camera, immediately recording her.

“So, hi again..”, Fareeha says with a chuckle, “I, um.. want to play this one song. It’s pretty damn old, almost a whole century, but I really like it. I could be super romantic and cheesy and sing all those typical love songs that explain how beautiful Angela is, how perfect and how thankful I am that she’s in my life, but.. That’s what I’m trying to do every day. To tell her that I love her unconditionally and that it won’t ever change.”

Angela smiles happily, listening to her fiancée’s words. Nora, who’s sitting next to her, rubs her back and smiles at the beautiful reaction of her sister.

“Instead I chose this song to tell her how she affects me, especially when things aren’t as calm and sweet, when things get tough and scary. We both experienced a lot together, we have been through a lot, and still we stand strong. Because let me tell you, this woman is a miracle.”  
Fareeha looks at Angela.  
“Damn, I said I didn’t wanna get cheesy but look at me now..”  
The table chuckles slightly, making Fareeha laugh a little as well.  
“Anyways..” she continues, strumming the guitar softly to hear the first tune, “I love you Angela, this is for you. Happy Birthday.”

The blonde shakes her head in disbelief when her fiancée actually starts picking the strings in a beautiful and upbeat melody. She watches how Fareeha’s finger move to form different chords with such ease, it looks so natural.  
She knew that Fareeha can play guitar, but she has never heard her before.

“She broke down and let me in”, Fareeha starts singing, making Angela’s eyes widen even further. She can’t believe this is happening, is Fareeha actually doing this?  
“Made me see where I’ve been.”  
The Egyptian concentrates on her fingers picking the strings as she moves her head to the rhythm. It’s been a while since she has last played, but this is worth it, it has to be.

“Been down one time, been down two times,” she continues, being a little more confident now, “I’m never going back again.”  
She hums to the music as her fingers start to actually move on their own and she looks up to meet Angela’s face, which is still in complete disbelief.

Fareeha grins brightly as her body starts to move with the music and it feels like she is becoming one with the instrument. She feels every string and each tone it makes and she knows she’s not the only one who’s feeling hypnotized by the beautiful melody she plays.  
Every guest smiles at Fareeha, a few move their heads with her, some of them record her. She looks over at Hannes who is actually tapping his foot on the ground while trying to keep a straight face. 

When she turns to look back at Angela, she’s met with shining eyes and a big toothy grin, making Fareeha’s heart beat faster but also taking away every last bit of nervousness that was left inside her chest.  
Angela nods her head to the rhythm, which only encourages Fareeha to forget about all her fears.   
She closes her eyes and leans her head back as she hums the melody before she changes from picking the strings to actually strumming the guitar, the beautiful sounds echoing through the night.

“You don’t know what it means to win”, Fareeha sings, her body gently swaying with the guitar in her hands as she nods her head to the rhythm like Angela does,  
“Come down and see me again.”  
She’s not looking anywhere else besides her fiancée now, only singing for her and nobody else.  
She wants Angela to know that.

“Been down one time, been down two times”, Fareeha sings, a big smile on her lips, “I’m never going back again.”  
Fareeha closes her eyes again as she puts all her emotions into the melody.  
“Mmmmhhmm..”  
She finishes the song with a perfect last melody and a slow strum of the strings.

Every single guest at the table stands up to applaud and cheer loudly. Even Hannes and Adrian are clapping their hands, even if they are not as enthusiastic as the others.

Fareeha scratches the back of her neck before she smiles and bows quickly.  
She opens her arms when Angela rushes towards her to embrace and kiss her deeply.  
“That was absolutely amazing, Schatz!”, Angela exclaims, cupping Fareeha’s face, “Just amazing! Thank you so much!”  
Fareeha smirks happily, knowing that for the first time during this whole vacation, something has actually worked out for her.   
And it feels good.  
“Anything for you, habibti.”

 

It is four in the morning now.  
All the guests are gone, the terrace is a mess, but nobody cares at the moment.  
Alva and Hannes are inside, taking care of the dirty dishes.  
Angela and Fareeha are lying in the hammock together, enjoying the peace and quiet after a long and exhausting party.  
“You handled everythin’ so well..”, Angela slurs, snuggling closer into Fareeha’s embrace, “’m so proud of you, Schatzi..”

Fareeha smiles lovingly, stroking Angela’s head.  
“You’re so wasted, honey. You need to sleep.”  
“‘m not wasted”, Angela mumbles into Fareeha’s chest, trying to sound as sober as she can, but failing miserably, “mkay.. maybe a lil.. But jush a lil..”  
“Okay, a little..”, Fareeha agrees, laughing quietly before she kisses the top of her head, “Did you like the party?”  
“Mhmm”, Angela hums, moving her head so she can smile at her, “Buuuut.. somethin’s still missin..”

With a smirk Angela tries to maneuver herself on top of Fareeha without making the hammock swing too much. Fareeha raises her eyebrow as she sees the big grin on the blonde’s face, her cheeks tinted a bright red from the alcohol.  
She chuckles and shakes her head when she feels Angela grinding her body against her own.

“Angelaaa..”, she groans between chuckles, stroking her back when Angela buries her face in her neck, “You’re drunk.”  
“I know..”, Angela mutters before she starts kissing Fareeha’s neck, “But ‘m also horny.”  
“I totally wouldn’t have guessed that.”  
Fareeha closes her eyes when she feels Angela lick her neck, making her bite her lip.  
“You’re so naughty..”  
Angela giggles evilly and tries to lift her body a little so she can kiss Fareeha properly, who gladly accepts it.

They both kiss for a while, occasionally letting their hands roam around each other’s bodies.  
Angela is straddling Fareeha’s lap with one leg between her thighs as she grinds against her, making both of them pant quietly.  
She lets out a small moan when she feels Fareeha’s hand moving from her thigh to her backside before she looks at her with lust clouded eyes. With fast but a little uncoordinated fingers she starts unbuttoning Fareeha’s shirt, making Fareeha’s heart race in excitement.

The Egyptian stretches her neck to look past the woman that’s now attacking her chest with kisses and playful licks.   
Her parents are nowhere to be seen, maybe they already went to bed.  
Fareeha could jump with happiness if she wasn’t so turned on at the moment.

“Eager, aren’t you birthday girl?”, she mumbles, moving her hips with Angela’s. She stops when she notices how heavy the smaller woman’s body has gotten all of a sudden.  
“.. Habibti?”  
She looks down to see Angela resting her head on her bare chest, her breathing deep and even. Listening closely, Fareeha can hear little snores, making her smile softly. 

“Tired little angel..”, she whispers lovingly, pushing the golden locks out of her face. Fareeha places a gentle kiss on her palm and just stares at her.   
In moments like this it seems like she’s falling in love with the woman all over again, Angela just keeps on taking her breath away and Fareeha can’t help but get lost in her beauty.  
“Sweet dreams..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter, I’m so sorry.  
> I hope you enjoyed it though! 
> 
> I’m pretty busy with work lately, so it might take a while for me to upload, but I’ll try my best. Just bear with me haha
> 
> xx Caro :)


	5. Raptora suit or Polo shirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my fellow internet people,  
> SURPRISE I’m sick.  
> I spent all day in bed which sucks, but also gave me the opportunity to keep writing.
> 
> And so I did.
> 
> Have fun reading! :)

The warmth of the sun shines through the visor of her helmet and warms her face.  
Fareeha is in her Raptora Mark VI, flying in the airy heights of the Swiss mountains and she feels alive. She takes a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air, before releasing it with a smile.  
What a beautiful day.

The view she gets to experience in the air is breathtaking. She can see the lakes and the woods and the beautiful wide meadows.  
Fareeha recognizes the mountain restaurant in the distance and she grins before she jets off to fly past the mountain top at maximum speed.

The people at the platform gasp and point at her, completely astonished at the sight of a flying person in an armored suit.  
Fareeha waves at them, a smug smile on her face, enjoying the attention she’s getting before she takes a turn in the air to switch her direction.

After a few minutes she reaches the neighborhood where the Zieglers live and slows down to look for the right house.  
She hovers for a while and looks around like a bird looking for prey, before she smiles.  
A tiny blond woman waves her arms at her, jumping up and down to catch her attention.

Fareeha starts diving towards the garden at amazing speed, watching as the ground gets closer and closer before she lands on the grass with a dramatic pose.  
“Found you”, she says with a sly smirk.  
“Pharah!”, Angela exclaims happily as the rushes towards the Egyptian to jump at her.  
Fareeha catches Angela, who immediately wraps her arms around her neck to give her long and passionate kiss.

“I’m so happy you’re back”, she says after she pulls away, “I missed you.”  
“Well, I am here now”, Fareeha says, holding Angela close, “So no need to worry anymore, my love.”

“Pharah!”, Hannes shouts as he enters the garden with Alva, “You’re back! How did it go?”  
“It wasn’t easy”, she says as she looks at the man, “It was tough, the enemy was strong. But they didn’t expect someone like me.”  
With that Fareeha straightens her back, making herself as tall as possible as she takes her helmet off.  
“All I can say is that justice is done.”  
Angela swoons over her fiancée’s confidence, placing her hand on Fareeha’s cheek.  
“I knew you’d make it.”

Hannes smiles as he approaches her.  
“Good job, kid”, he says with an appreciative nod, “You sure know how to protect the people.”  
“It is not only my duty, but also my honor”, Fareeha says, before looking at Angela, “I take protecting what’s important to me very seriously.”  
“I truly believe that”, Hannes says with a smile, before placing his hand on her shoulder, “I’m so happy Angela chose you to be with her forever. I can’t wait to finally and officially call you my daughter in-law.”  
Fareeha smiles proudly.  
“Thank you, sir.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of this hot suit”, Angela says as she takes Fareeha’s hand, “Let’s go.”  
“Take your time!”, Alva calls after them, before sighing happily as she watches the women walk inside.  
Angela takes Fareeha upstairs to their room and closes the door after she shoves her inside.

“Feisty”, Fareeha says with a chuckle before she turns around to watch Angela lock the door.  
“You know how much I love seeing you with your suit”, Angela mutters, closing the gap between them, “But I think I love seeing you without it even more.”  
She presses a few buttons to release the plates of the armor so she can take them off.  
“You’re getting faster each time you’re doing this”, Fareeha notes, raising an eyebrow.  
“What can I say, I’m really good with my hands”, Angela says with a grin.

Once all the upper plates are gone, Angela leans in to kiss the soldier, pressing herself against her.  
“You know we can’t..”, Fareeha mumbles into the kiss, playing with the hem of Angela’s shirt, “Your parents-..”  
“Oh, forget my parents!”, Angela says, pulling away to take her shirt off, “Please, Fareeha..”  
She is almost whining, making it even harder for Fareeha to resist.  
“I need you..”, Angela mumbles into Fareeha’s ear, giving her goosebumps all over her body, “Please.. I’m all yours..”

Fareeha pulls Angela closer before picking her up.  
“Do you really want me that badly?”, Fareeha asks teasingly, holding her thighs so Angela can wrap her legs around her.  
“Yes..”, the Swiss woman whispers as she kisses her jaw, “I don’t care about my parents, all I know is that I need you to take care of me.. Now.”

Fareeha grins and turns around to place Angela on the bed.  
“You have no idea how frustrated I’ve been, habibti”, she says before attacking her neck and chest with kisses, “I want you all the time, each day, it’s all I can think about lately..”  
Angela’s moans and whimpers only encourage Fareeha, who’s trailing her kisses down her stomach.  
“I’m gonna take such good care of you baby..”, Fareeha whispers, almost panting in excitement when she unbuttons Angela’s pants, “Tell me what you want me to do, I’m gonna treat you so fucking good..”  
“Papa?”

Fareeha stops moving.  
She sits up, staring at Angela in confusion.  
“What the..”  
“Papa, what are you doing in here?”

 

Fareeha wakes up, lazily opening her eyes and wiping the drool from her mouth.  
“Mmh, Angela..”, she mumbles before she realizes that Hannes is sitting on the edge of the bed.  
Fareeha screams and crawls away from him.  
“Hannes-, I mean, Mr. Ziegler, Sir-..”, she stutters, pulling the blanket up to cover herself.

“What are you doing in here?”, Angela asks, standing in the doorway of the bathroom and sounding as confused as Fareeha feels.  
“I just wanted to check if you both were still asleep”, Hannes says with a shrug, “Then I heard Fareeha making strange noises so I wanted to see if everything’s alright.”  
Fareeha sighs, rubbing her face in annoyance.  
“I just.. had a bad dream. Thanks for waking me up, Hannes, I really appreciate it..”  
“Bad dreams, huh?”, Hannes says, before nodding, “Alright.”  
He gets up and walks towards Angela to kiss her cheek.  
“Mama und ich warten unten.. (Mom and I are waiting downstairs..)”, he says before he walks out.

“Jesus..”, Fareeha whispers as she lets herself fall back on the mattress.  
“Sorry about that..”, Angela mutters as she walks over to the bed and lays down next to her fiancée, “Did you sleep well?”  
“Yeah.. I DID..”, Fareeha mumbles, pulling Angela close to her and burying her face in her chest.  
“Aw, don’t be grumpy you poor little baby..”, Angela says as she strokes Fareeha’s head, letting Fareeha snuggle closer to her, “It’s still my birthday and I want us to have a nice morning.”  
“Hmm, this is making it better already..”, Fareeha hums, which only comes out as muffled sounds between Angela’s breasts.  
Angela giggles, rubbing Fareeha’s back.  
“Everyone thinks you’re so stoic and stern.. If only they could see you right know.”  
“Yeah, me between your tits, nice.”

They both stay silent before they burst out laughing.  
“See? That’s what I want to see!”, Angela says, grabbing Fareeha’s face, “Your beautiful smile.”  
Fareeha hums contently when Angela kisses her softly, almost purring.  
“I love you..”, the Egyptian mumbles happily.  
“I love you more, Schatz..”, Angela says with a smile, “By the way.. Do you think you can sing for me again? You absolutely blew me away, I want more songs!”  
“Oooh, don’t push it, honey!”  
Fareeha chuckles softly as she looks up at the woman above her.  
“Can I take you out tonight?”, she asks, stroking her cheek with her thumb, “Just you and me, what do you think?”  
Angela smiles, supporting her head with her hand.  
“Are you asking me out on a date?”  
“Yes ma’am”, Fareeha says, smiling up at her, so what do you say?”  
Angela grins, leaning into Fareeha’s touch.  
“I say it’s a date.”

 

After eating breakfast together, Alva tells the women that Adrian invited the family to visit him at his place.  
They are both surprised, but excited to see where and how he lives.. Well, Angela is.  
Fareeha doesn’t trust this whole situation, but as long as they are back home in time so they can go on their date, she’s fine with visiting him.

“I think we’re here..”, Hannes says as he stops the car in front of a huge metal gate.  
He rolls down the window to press a button on a metal bar with a speaker above, which seems to be the doorbell.  
“Jaaa?”, the all to familiar voice says, almost in a singing voice, making the man chuckle.  
“Wir sind’s! (It’s us!)”, Hannes says, mimicking his voice, “Lässt du uns rein? (Are you letting us in?)”  
“Klaaar, einen Moment! (Of coouurse, one moment!)”

The gate opens, revealing a beautifully paved driveway that leads to a huge mansion with a big, park-like garden.  
Everything looks perfectly neat and elegant, only making the whole property look even more luxurious.  
“Gott im Himmel..”, Alva mutters with wide eyes.  
“What she said..”, Fareeha adds, completely stunned.

Hannes drives along the driveway, making sure not to go too fast, so everyone can stare at Adrian’s house a little longer.  
He parks the car right in front of the entrance, which opens immediately and reveals a proud Adrian, walking towards the family with his arms wide open.  
“There you are!”, he exclaims happily, embracing Hannes and Alva, before he takes Angela’s hand to kiss it, “I’m glad you could make it.”  
“Always!”, Hannes says, smiling at the younger man, “What a nice home you have!”  
“Thank you, thank you..”. Adrian says, trying to sound as humble as possible, “Want a small tour?”

Adrian shows them the whole house, each room, each corner, even each closet.  
It is a beautiful mansion, of course, it is super luxurious and big with high ceilings and really elegant furniture.  
Fareeha has to chuckle at Adrian’s presentation though, each sentence sounding more ridiculous than the earlier one.

“This is where I keep all my hairbrushes and gels, I have a thing for hair products, it’s like a small collection.”  
“I have mirrors in every room, people say it opens the space and makes everything seem a little lighter, but I just wanna make sure I look decent whenever someone visits. I mean, even the mailman has taste and nobody wants to look like trash, am I right?”  
“Oh, right I almost forgot about this one. This is another bathroom, the fifth if I counted correctly. I barely use it, but it was a spare room and I didn’t want it to be empty.”

“So!”, he says after the forty minute house tour, clapping his hands together, “Who’s ready for a short tennis match?”  
“Tennis match?”, Fareeha asks, confusion in her voice.  
“Yeah!”, Adrian says with a big smile, “I haven’t shown you the garden yet. There’s a tennis court outside, I know how much the Ziegler family loves tennis!”  
“Damn right, son!”, Hannes says, smiling proudly, “You’re talking to the chairman and champion of TC Interlaken!”  
Alva turns to look at Fareeha.  
“The whole family plays tennis”, she explains, “Angela used to play as well when she was young. She was really good, had a lot of talent.”  
Angela rolls her eyes with a chuckle.  
“I’m alright, I guess.”  
Fareeha looks at her fiancée, trying to imagine a little Angela with a tennis racket in her small hands.  
“I didn’t know that, that’s really cool!”

“Soooo, wanna give it a try?”, Adrian asks, looking at Hannes and Alva, “Did you bring the clothes?”  
“Yup, they’re right here”, Hannes says, patting the bag in his hands.  
“But Fareeha doesn’t have any clothes”, Alva says, looking at the Egyptian, “It’s not fair if we play and she just watches..”  
“No, no, no, it’s fine!”, Fareeha says, smiling sympathetically, “I can watch, that’s totally fine-..”  
“Adrian, can’t you borrow her some of your tennis clothes?”, Angela asks, smiling sweetly.  
“Sure!”, Adrian says, “I’ll go get them for you, just a sec.”  
Fareeha smiles awkwardly.  
Great. Just great.

 

Fareeha walks out of the bathroom wearing a white polo shirt and way too tight gym shorts. She feels completely uncomfortable, but if that’s what tennis players wear, she has to deal with it.  
She keeps trying to adjust the pants, wondering why Adrian has to have such a flat ass, but it doesn’t really help.  
The others are already waiting in the garden, where Fareeha can spot Angela wearing a white top and a tennis skirt, looking like she just stepped out of a sports magazine.

“Get over here, Schatz!”, Angela calls her over, giggling at Fareeha’s obvious discomfort.  
“Gosh, give me a break with your beauty”, Fareeha mutters when she reaches the court, now being able to have a closer look at Angela.  
She’d be lying if she said that her fiancée doesn’t make her feel all kinds of things in all kinds of places, but she has to push all irrelevant thoughts away, trying not to look at her inappropriately in front of her parents.

“You look.. Very suburban”, Angela says with a small chuckle, “I have never seen you like this.”  
“Well, you better take it in, cause this will be the first and last time I’m wearing something like this.”  
“Have you played tennis before?”, Adrian asks, bouncing a tennis ball with his hand.  
“Um, no”, Fareeha admits, “But I have played soccer and basketball if that helps..”  
“Soccer, basketball..”, Hannes mutters, shaking his head, “such.. aggressive sports.”

“Well, we can teach Fareeha”, Angela says, rubbing Fareeha’s back reassuringly, “We make a great time, we’ll kick their butts!”  
“I can wait”, Alva says with a smile, sitting down on the bench at the side of the court, “I’ll watch first.”  
“Um, I think Fareeha should play with Hannes first”, Adrian says, obviously trying to hide a pout when Angela is about to take Fareeha to their side of the court, “It would be a great bonding activity, don’t you think?”  
Fareeha and Hannes look at each other, none of them really seeming too eager to be a team.

“Um..”, Fareeha starts, trying to find a way to escape the situation, but Alva interrupts them.  
“I think that’s a great idea!”, she says with a nod, “And Hannes is a great teacher!”  
Angela pats Fareeha’s back.  
“Just give it a try”, she says, before kissing her cheek, “I guess, that makes Adrian and me a team?”  
“Mhm!”, he says happily, wrapping his arm around Angela’s waist before leading her to their side.  
“Come on, Amari..”, Hannes grunts quietly as he walks to the other side of the court, gripping the racket in his hand.  
Fareeha rushes after him, trying not to anger him somehow.

“I’ll try my best..”, she tells Hannes, trying to mimic his posture when he reaches the line.  
“Look, you gotta have to watch every single movement the enemy makes, I bet that sounds familiar to you, right?”  
Fareeha nods slowly.  
“Um, yeah I guess-..”  
“Being attentive is the key to winning”, Hannes continues, “They will try to trick you, especially Adrian, he’s really smart. Angela has a pretty nice backhand, so you gotta be careful when she holds the racket with both hands. If you become too careful and use less force, they will attack with a smash and that means we lose the point. So don’t be scared of the ball, even if it comes fast, that’s very important. When I start going forward, you come with me. That will pressure them. And try to send them running before they decide to let you run instead. Any questions?”

Fareeha stares at him with wide eyes.  
“Uhhh..”  
“Ready?”, Adrian asks, holding the ball in his hand.  
“Yeah, let’s go!”, Hannes shouts back, getting in position.  
Before Fareeha can register what’s happening, Adrian throws the ball in the air and hits it with force, sending the ball over the net right at Fareeha.  
The Egyptian panics and runs away to avoid being hit.  
“Yes, Ace!”, Adrian cheers, throwing his fist in the air.

Hannes rolls his eyes before looking at his team partner.  
“What did I just tell you? Don’t be scared of the ball!”  
“Sorry..”, Fareeha apologizes, noticing how Hannes shakes his head with a sigh, mumbling something in German.  
“You can do it, Schatz!”, Angela shouts with a smile, “Don’t be scared.”  
“I’m not scared..”, Fareeha mutters, getting in position to get the ball next time.

The game goes on for quiet a while.  
Fareeha really pushes herself to impress the family, trying her best to get into the sport and to actually win a few points, but Adrian doesn’t make it very easy for her.  
While Angela tries to include both Fareeha and her father in the game, Adrian keeps aiming at Fareeha, making her run, jump and try her hardest to reach the ball.  
She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of beating her and feeling good about winning against a beginner.

They both get into a rhythm of forceful hits, making the ball fly from side to side at rapid speed, completely ignoring Angela and her father.  
“You’re not giving up, huh?”, Adrian asks, trying to mock Fareeha, but she doesn’t let him get into her head.  
“Well, you aren’t either!”, she tells him, smirking when Adrian barely manages to send the ball back over the net.

She runs forward as fast as she can when the ball flies in a high arc.  
“I got it”, Fareeha tells Hannes, looking up at the ball as she takes a big swing to hit it with a fast smash, when suddenly her legs collide with the net, sending her flying and making her faceplant on the hard court.

“Fareeha!”  
Angela drops the racket and rushes towards her, kneeling down to check on her fiancée.  
“Oh Gott, are you okay??”  
“Uuugh..”, Fareeha groans in pain, slowly lifting her face from the ground and rubbing her head, “God, for fuck’s sake..”  
Alva is right there as well, taking a closer look at Fareeha’s face.  
“Oh dear, that must have hurt.”  
“I’ll go get some ice!”, Adrian says before sprinting to his mansion like the big hero he is.

Angela touches Fareeha’s nose carefully, making her hiss.  
“It’s not broken..”, she tells her, before stroking her head, “But that’s definitely gonna leave a bump..”  
“Yeah, no shit..”, Fareeha mutters, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment.  
Angela kisses her forehead softly, before taking both her hands.  
“Can you stand up..?”  
“Yeah..”, Fareeha says with a nod, standing up with Angela’s help, “Thank you..”

“When I tell you to not be scared of the ball, that doesn’t mean I want you to kill it”, Hannes says, approaching the scene.  
“Papa, bitte.. (please..)”, Angela says, looking at her father before she turns back to Fareeha, “Come on, let’s sit down for a while..”  
“I’m fine, habibti..”, Fareeha tells her, “Really.. It’s no big deal.”  
“I just want you to sit down”, Angela repeats, as she walks her to the bench.

Adrian returns with an ice pack wrapped in a cloth.  
“Oh man..”, he says with a chuckle, handing Angela the bundle, “I’m sorry about that last ball, I didn’t know you were so eager to win.”  
“I wasn’t..”, Fareeha tells him, really not in the mood to deal with him at the moment.  
“Well, you know how soldiers are..”, Hannes says, leaning against the net as he watches his daughter cool Fareeha’s head carefully, “They would do anything to be victorious. That’s probably why the majority of them is always so aggressive..”

“Fareeha isn’t aggressive..”, Angela says, glaring at her father.  
Fareeha just ignores the comment.  
“Oh, you’re a soldier?”, Adrian asks her, sounding way too interested to actually be genuine.  
“I was”, Fareeha grunts, looking at the ground.  
“Oh you know what they say”, Adrian says, waving his hand dismissively, “Once a soldier, always a soldier.”

Just when Fareeha thinks he’s finally done, he sits down besides her, leaning forward to look at her face.  
“So since you’re from Egypt, did you fight against the Omnics?”, he asks, “You know, there was this thing with the A.I., that somehow took control of them. I saw it on the news!”  
“Yes”, Fareeha says, not moving her head.  
“I saw videos from the surveillance cameras in Giza”, Adrian continues, “What a horrible night that was. So many innocent people died, it’s just-..”  
“I don’t wanna talk about it, to be honest..”, Fareeha says, closing her eyes.  
She feels Angela’s arm on her back and it soothes her, but Adrian keeps talking.

“Did you lose people you knew? Do you think it might happen again?”  
“Adrian, you’re not making it easier for her..”, Angela says, looking at him.  
“Oh..”, he mumbles, staying silent for a moment, “... Does it still have this big of an impact on you?”  
“Adrian-..”, Angela starts again, but gets interrupted by Fareeha.  
“Yeah, it does”, she says, now looking at him, “Do you have any more questions?”

Not getting the sarcasm in Fareeha’s voice, Adrian turns his body a little further so he’s facing her.  
“Do you have PTSD?”  
“I don’t think so.”  
“Do you have medication?”  
“No.”  
“Do you need to be on it?”  
“No.”  
“You can say it, we won’t judge, it’s pretty usual that soldiers suffer from their memories.”  
“I don’t.”

Fareeha can feel the blood thumping in her head, she can hear it, it’s right there.  
Slowly but surely approaching.  
She can’t stop it.

“So you never talked to someone about your problems?”  
“I don’t have any problems.”  
“Okay, so I’m not making you nervous or anything.”  
“I’m not so sure about that.”  
“So you DO have problems.”  
“Adrian”, Angela repeats, noticing how Fareeha tenses up.  
“I don’t.”  
“Does talking about this make you edgy?”  
“Look, can you just stop talking?? STOP.”

Everyone stares at a panting Fareeha, nobody daring to say a word as she jumps up, trying to get away from everyone as quickly as possible.  
The Egyptian can feel how her body starts shaking in panic. She wants to run, but she is completely paralyzed.  
As her panic rises, she can feel how her breathing gets faster and heavier at the same time, making her feel like she’s suffocating.

“I’m-..”, she starts, before burying her face in her hands in shame.  
“Fareeha..”, Angela mutters carefully, slowly getting up from the bench, but she gets cut off.  
“Excuse me for a second..? I’m-.. Sorry. I’m so sorry”, Fareeha stutters quietly before walking away, her heart pounding so heart and fast she’s scared she might have a heart attack. 

Angela frowns, walking after her.  
“Schatz..”  
Angela’s parents and Adrian watch as she walks up to Fareeha, rubbing her back in soothing circles as the Egyptian kneels down on the ground, trying to calm herself down.

“Oh mein Gott..”, Alva whispers in shock, placing her hand in front of her mouth.  
Adrian tries to find his words, not knowing how to react.  
“Ich.. Ich wusste nicht.. (I.. I didn’t know..)”  
“Alles gut (It’s okay)”, Hannes says, squinting his eyes as he observes the scene carefully, “Es ist nicht deine Schuld. Leute wie sie sind unvorhersehbar.. (It’s not your fault. People like her are unpredictable..)”

 

After that incident, the group decides that it might be best if they call it a day and head back home.  
Fareeha apologizes several times, feeling ashamed of her outburst. She should have kept it under control, she should have stayed calm.  
Adrian apologizes as well.  
Fareeha doesn’t know if he really means it or not, but at that moment she just doesn’t care.  
All she wants is to go home and take a shower.

“Are you feeling better?”, Angela asks once they are back in their room.  
Fareeha uses the towel to rub her hair dry before she looks at Angela, trying to form a decent smile.  
“Yeah..”, she says before sighing, “.. I ruined everything, I’m so sorry.”  
“Don’t you dare say that”, Angela says, grabbing Fareeha’s face, making her look at her, “You didn’t ruin anything, Schatz. Everything is okay, really.”

Fareeha smiles a bit, before averting her eyes.  
“I bet you don’t wanna go on that date with me anymore..”  
“Are you kidding me?”, Angela asks, staring at her, “Of course I still wanna go out with you. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”  
She kisses her softly, making sure Fareeha believes her.  
“Come on. Let’s get dressed and head out. It’ll do us good.”

 

And so they do go out.  
Fareeha takes Angela to a beautiful restaurant, a fancy place with live music and a nice view of the lake.  
Angela is wearing a beautiful black dress, matching with Fareeha’s black pants and her white blouse.  
They are sitting right at the window, enjoying the hearty Swiss food and the beautiful music.  
They both seem to have forgotten about the incident at Adrian’s place, only enjoying each other’s presence and the ambience.

“And then Alex asked the neighbors who have a son that plays the guitar, if they could let me use it for the night and they got it right away. I’m so happy he helped me.”  
“I was wondering from where you got it that fast”, Angela says with a chuckle, before she takes a sip of her wine, “I was so impressed, everyone was.”  
Fareeha smiles with a shrug.  
“Well.. I tried.”  
“You tried and succeeded. Just like you always do.”

Angela grins at her fiancée, placing her hand on top of hers.  
Fareeha looks down at their hands, smiling to herself.  
“My beautiful angel..”, she mutters.  
Angela studies her face, happy when she sees the smile on her lips.

“Fareeha?”  
“Yes?”  
“About that thing that happened today..”  
Angela can feel the tension radiating from the woman on the opposite side of the table.  
“It hasn’t happened in such a long time, I really thought you were on a good way but..”  
“I am on a good way”, Fareeha says, staring at her plate as she keeps eating, “This was a one time thing, it won’t happen again.”  
Angela sighs.  
“That’s the thing, Schatz. You can’t control. It’s an illness-..”  
“Angela, honey”, Fareeha interrupts her, forming a calm smile, “Please.. Not now. We’re here to have a nice evening.”

Angela frowns.  
“Sooner or later we have to talk about it.”  
“Well, later it is”, Fareeha says, leaning forward to give Angela a kiss, “I don’t like it when you’re worried. Let’s just enjoy the last hours of your birthday.”

The blonde scoffs.  
“Oh Gott, you’re right”, she says, leaning back in her chair, “I’m so old.”  
“You’re nooot”, Fareeha says, smirking at her, “You’re only thirty eight, don’t be dramatic.”  
“Well, easy to say when you’re still thirty two!”, Angela talks back, pouting slightly, “I’m old.”  
“But you look as beautiful as ever..”, Fareeha says with a smile, using her foot to gently nudge Angela’s leg underneath the table, “And I’m so lucky to call you my soon to be wife. My beautiful, talented, incredibly sexy and perfect soon to be wife.”

Angela blushes slightly, rolling her eyes.  
“You’re such a softie, Fareeha.”  
“Only for you”, the Egyptian says with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s getting a little angsty, I’m sorry but I love drama.
> 
> Stay healthy everyone, being sick is shitty.
> 
> xx Caro :)


	6. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The many nice comments really made my day guys, you’re all so sweet!
> 
> I have nothing much to say, except..
> 
> I apologize in advance.

Angela is woken up by a weird shaking of the mattress.  
She slowly opens an eye and looks at the alarm clock on the bedside table.  
3:42.  
Suddenly she hears ragged breathing coming from the other side of the bed and she turns around, gasping when she sees Fareeha writhe and hyperventilate in panic. Her eyes are wide, her brow covered in sweat and her whole body is trembling.

“Scheiße..”, Angela mutters, turning on the small lamp on the table, “Fareeha, hey!”  
She crawls over to her fiancée, carefully wrapping her arms around her.  
“Come here, over here, shhhh..”  
Fareeha wants to move, wants to lean into Angela’s arms but she is completely catatonic, frozen in place.

Angela still pulls her closer, stroking Fareeha’s arm and trying to ignore the horrible trembling coming from her as she tries to calm her down.  
“It’s okay, everything’s okay”, she whispers, resting her head against Fareeha’s, “I’m here, right here. You’re here.”

She can hear how Fareeha tries to form words, but they only come out as breathy whispers.  
“I.. Air..”  
“Okay, wait”, Angela tells her, carefully getting up to open the window on Fareeha’s side, before she gets back in bed, “Put your head here, listen to my heartbeat.”  
She gently places Fareeha’s head on her chest and holds her again, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Let’s breathe together, like we practiced. Do you want to breath with me?”  
Fareeha nods shakily, looking up at Angela and taking a deep breath with her, before releasing it again.  
They repeat this several times and it takes them around twenty minutes until Fareeha feels like she can move again, first her fingers and toes, then her arms and legs.

She sighs and closes her eyes before burying her face in her hands.  
“This is so embarrassing..”, she mumbles, shaking her head.  
“No, no no no, don’t say that..”, Angela says, stroking her head, “Don’t be embarrassed Schatz.”  
Fareeha can’t help it. She hates feeling weak, powerless.  
She’s supposed to be strong and not let some stupid nightmares affect her like that.

“Do you want me to hold you again?”, Angela asks before embracing her fiancée when she nods slightly.  
She kisses the top of Fareeha’s head, making sure she’s comfortable as she tries to soothe her.  
“I’m sorry for waking you, habibti..”, Fareeha mutters, snuggling closer to Angela, “You should go back to sleep..”  
“No need to apologize”, Angela says, pulling the blanket back up to cover them both, “Did you have a bad dream again..?”  
“Yeah..”  
“Do you want to talk about it..?”  
Fareeha shakes her head slowly, closing her eyes.  
“Not really..”  
Angela sighs.

She knows that Fareeha wants to avoid the topic. She used to have many nightmares back then, waking up almost every night, sometimes several times, because the memories kept haunting her.  
It has gotten better since then. The time she spends with Angela, the reunion with her old friends, the engagement, all distractions that helped her overcome the dark thoughts that stayed in the back of her mind.  
Well, she thought it has gotten better.  
Angela isn’t so sure anymore.

“Okay..”, Angela mumbles, not wanting to stress the Egyptian any further.  
She turns the lamp off before she cuddles up to her fiancée, making sure she feels safe.  
“Thank you..”, Fareeha whispers, taking Angela’s hand to wrap it around her, “For everything..”  
“Don’t thank me, Schatz”, she says, kissing her shoulder gently, “I love you.”  
“I love you more.”

Angela waits a few minutes until she knows that Fareeha is asleep, her breathing slow and even.  
She looks out of the open window as she holds Fareeha as close as possible, too many things on her mind to fall asleep again immediately.  
She knows that she’s been having a rough time lately and she admires how her fiancée tries to stay strong for her, but she wants her to know that it’s okay to be vulnerable, to show that you’re struggling. Fareeha’s desperate attempt to pretend that everything is okay is eating her up inside, Angela knows that. She can see it.  
Still Fareeha refuses to let anyone help her, that’s what scares Angela.

 

“Hey”, Angela whispers quietly, shaking the sleeping woman carefully, “Sweetheart..”  
Fareeha moves a little, slowly waking up.  
“Mmh.. hm?”  
“It’s already noon”, Angela explains quietly, kneeling down at the side of the bed, “I didn’t want to wake you, but my parents want to take me somewhere and yeah.. If you want to come with us we can wait a little longer.”  
“Where are you going?”, Fareeha asks, trying to open her tired eyes as she stretches her arms.  
“They want to surprise me”, Angela says with a shrug, “They won’t tell me.”

Fareeha wants to sit up but it feels like some kind of force is holding her down, not letting her leave the bed.  
She is dead tired.  
“Will you be disappointed if I stay here?”, she asks carefully, reaching out to stroke Angela’s face.  
“Of course not!”, Angela says, shaking her head, “Stay here, get some more rest until you feel better, okay?”  
“Mkay..”

Angela leans down to kiss her softly before getting back up.  
“There’s still breakfast left if you’re hungry”, she says, taking her purse from the chair in the corner, “You can call me if you need me.”  
“Alright”, Fareeha says with a small nod, “Have fun!”  
“Thanks”, the Swiss woman says with a soft smile before she leaves the room.  
Fareeha listens to the footsteps on the stairs and the voices of the Zieglers until she hears the front door shut.

After almost an hour of not moving and staring at the ceiling, Fareeha forces herself to get up and take a quick shower, which ends up to be around thirty minutes of leaning her head against the cold tiles as the water flows down her back.  
Afterwards she walks to the kitchen, where a single bread roll and a cup of cold coffee await her. She picks the bread up before dropping it back on the plate, not feeling very hungry. Instead she takes the cup, taking small sips of the coffee and completely ignoring that it is already cold.

She walks along the photo wall, studying each and every picture.  
The photo of Angela’s first day of school, Hannes’ and Alva’s wedding, Luis with a small Eli in his arms, Nora and Alexander on vacation, so many memories.  
Fareeha keeps walking until she finds more photos of Angela.  
Angela with a tennis dress and her racket on the court, Angela with her father at his hospital, Angela with a boy playing on the grass. Adrian?

Fareeha walks out of the living room into the garden. It is still very sunny, but she can see dark clouds in the distance.  
It will probably rain later on, so she decides to stay outside to enjoy the rest of the good weather.  
She walks along the grass until she reaches the small stream at the end of the garden, where she decides to sit down and relax for a while, listening to the water and the wind in the trees.

She looks to her side when she sees a small bird landing on the grass to pick up little thin sticks from the bushes. It hops around before flying to the tree in the garden, where it seems to be building a nest.  
Fareeha watches how it keeps flying back and forth, collecting more sticks and grass to fix its nest, she doesn’t even notice how fast the time flies.  
After returning to the tree once again, it flies away instead of landing on the grass again, making Fareeha wait until it returns. But it doesn’t.  
She wonders where it went, but she has no clue. It could have flown anywhere. It is free.

“Free like a bird”, Fareeha thinks, smiling to herself before she shakes her head, “You’re such a little girl, Amari.”  
She lays down in the grass, looking up at the sky, clearing her mind from all thoughts and ideas.

 

The hours pass and Fareeha is still laying in the garden, not having moved at all.  
“Fareeha?”  
She opens her eyes to see Angela looking down at her, chuckling to herself.  
“What are you doing?”  
Fareeha smiles at her, stretching her limbs.  
“What does it look like?”, Fareeha says, “Absolutely nothing.”  
Angela smiles, sitting down besides her before leaning down to kiss her.  
Fareeha hums contentedly, sitting up after Angela pulls away.

“So where did your parents take you?”  
“Oh right!”, Angela says, taking out her phone from her purse, “Weelll, since Adrian is one of Interlaken’s best real estate agents, he took me and my parents to go house hunting together!”  
Fareeha’s smile falters at the mention of Adrian’s name.  
“Oh..”, she says, but quickly putting her smile back on, “How was it?”  
“It was great, we visited many places and three of the houses are in this neighborhood!”, Angela explains with a big grin, showing her pictures she took during the day, “They are all very pretty and have big gardens, and each of them has lots of space.”

Fareeha looks at Angela’s phone and she is not lying, they really are very beautiful houses, super big and spacious, great properties.  
“They are pretty big, you’re right”, she says with a nod, “something considerable in the future.”  
She doesn’t see how Angela is biting her lip, before looking at Fareeha with intent in her eyes.  
“Well..”, she starts, “Do we really have to wait that long..? I mean, I’d really love to have a place here in Switzerland, like you do in Egypt.”

Fareeha shrugs before nodding.  
“Of course, why not? I bet there are many nice apartments in the city.”  
Angela puts her phone away, looking at the ground with a shy smile.  
“I thought about something bigger.”  
“... You mean.. a big apartment?”  
Angela chuckles softly, shaking her head.  
“No, I mean, maybe one of the houses I saw today.”  
Fareeha chuckles as well, before looking at Angela.  
“Baby, we don’t need that much space yet. We have the apartment in Giza AND our own place at the headquarters. And don’t forget that we can also stay at my mom’s place and your parents’ house. Don’t you think another apartment will be enough?”

Angela looks at her hands.  
Fareeha knows she’s trying to find the right words.  
“I’m thinking about the future”, Angela starts, “My family and friends were right, in a few years I’m gonna be forty and yeah..”  
Fareeha looks at her fiancée, trying to read her face.  
“I.. don’t really understand.”  
Angela smiles softly, trying not to blush.  
“I really want a family with you, Fareeha, a baby..”, she says, looking at her, “Our own family. I want us to have a place we can really call our home, a big house with a garden, a place where we can grow old together.”

Fareeha stares at her with wide eyes.  
That’s what it was, that was the look in Angela’s eyes back at her party.

“.. You don’t want to have a baby with me..”  
“No, Angela! That’s not what I meant!”, Fareeha says, putting her hands on her shoulders when she sees the sad look on her face, “Of course I do! I’d love to have all of that with you, this is just.. so all of sudden.”  
Fareeha chuckles awkwardly, trying to find the right words.  
“I mean, we aren’t even married yet and we have so many duties, especially now with the recall and everything. We have time.”  
“That’s the thing”, Angela says, “I don’t know if we have that much time left. I know there’s a lot going on with the wedding, my parents, overwatch. But.. Sometimes we both have to be a little selfish. You said it yourself, our future starts now.”

Fareeha is completely dumbfounded.  
“Well yeah..”, she says, looking at her fiancée, “But.. What about our jobs?”  
Angela smiles, moving closer to Fareeha.  
“My dad said I can work at the hospital again, he’d love to have me back there.”  
“Of course”, Fareeha thinks.  
“We could move here, I work at the hospital and you can go on missions here in Europe. Just because we live in Switzerland doesn’t mean we have to leave Overwatch behind. And we can always spend our free weeks in Giza or in Spain or wherever we want to be.”  
Angela’s grin only grows.  
“We’ll be a real family. It’ll be our dream come true, all we ever wanted.”

“But..”, Fareeha starts, shaking her head slightly, “Angela, I know what it’s like to have a mother that works for Overwatch, what it’s like to be left alone when she’s gone and to always worry if she’ll come back. I don’t know if that’s the childhood our kid deserves. And, I’m sorry if it sounds rude but, I don’t think I can leave all of my life behind to work in a bakery or as a real estate agent.”  
“But you don’t have to leave anything behind”, Angela says, stroking Fareeha’s arm, “I don’t wanna take anything away from you.”

She takes Fareeha’s hands, stroking them with her thumb.  
“Please tell me. Are you being honest when you’re saying that you want to start a family with me?”  
“Of course..”, Fareeha says just as softly as Angela, “I want that family life, I want to have a baby and I want to be with you forever, that’s why I proposed to you.”  
Angela smiles gently.  
“But..”, Fareeha sighs, “I’m just.. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

Angela wraps her arms around Fareeha, who gladly accepts the embrace.  
“Schatz, you’re the most amazing person the world has ever seen”, she says, rubbing Fareeha’s back, “I understand that you’re scared, so am I. Nobody can predict how life is going to be, but I want to find it out. With you.”  
Fareeha rests her chin on Angela’s shoulder, closing her eyes.  
“You know..”, Angela starts carefully, “I can still talk to Zenyatta. He knows how to help you. Maybe you’ll feel better about yourself once this is taken care of.”

Fareeha opens her eyes again.  
“And what is.. ‘this’ you’re talking about.”  
“You know.. what you still refuse to talk about.”  
Fareeha pulls away from Angela.  
“... I have no idea what you mean”, she lies, looking away.  
“The memories, panic attacks, nightmares, sleeping all day or not at all”, Angela counts, looking at the woman in front of her, “We’ve been through this before. And still you refuse to ask for help.”  
“Exactly, we’ve been through this before and we managed it on our own”, Fareeha says, moving her body so she doesn’t face Angela anymore.

Angela moves as well, making sure Fareeha has no choice but to look at her.  
“Schatz, there are people that can really help you”, she explains in a calm voice, “There’s therapy for PTSD, there are several ways-..”  
“I don’t have PTSD”, Fareeha interrupts her, looking away.  
“Fareeha, listen to me”, Angela says, placing her hands on her knees, “I can see that you’re suffering from this and I’m suffering with you. I can’t stand seeing you experience those anxiety attacks, you don’t deserve this!”

“Don’t baby me, Angela, I can deal with this myself”, Fareeha mutters quietly.  
“No!”, Angela says, this time a little louder, “No you can’t, Fareeha!”  
Fareeha just stares at Angela.  
“You can’t deal with this on your own and I’m sorry that I’m annoying you, but you can’t go on like this! It’s an illness! A serious illness and if you don’t accept people’s help now you’ll-..”  
“I’ll do what?”, Fareeha asks, now as loud as Angela, “I’ll ruin the future you’re dreaming about? Cause I’m fucking up?”

Angela pauses for a second, returning to her calm voice.  
“I never said that, please just listen to me-..”  
“No!”, Fareeha interrupts her again, “You think I’m fucked up, otherwise you’d leave me alone with this topic! You want that ‘perfect’ future with a ‘perfect’ partner and a ‘perfect’ family, isn’t it so?”  
Angela takes a deep breath, placing her hand on her fiancée’s shoulder.  
“Schatz, please calm down, you don’t need to raise your voice.”  
“Well, I AM raising my voice!”, she says, getting up, “Sorry for not being good enough, sorry for not being Mr. I-eat-toothpaste-for-breakfast Adrian!”  
“You are more than good enough, you are everything I need and want, I love you..”, Angela tries to explain, but Fareeha isn’t having it.  
She starts chuckling and shaking her head before she looks back at Angela.

“Of course, why haven’t I thought of it before..”, she says, before looking back at the woman on the ground, “You want that big house, huh? You want kids? I bet Adrian can make you hundreds of babies like the stud he is and then you can live in his mansion with the fucking five bathrooms together and play tennis every evening, and on the weekends your family can visit and I bet your father will literally cream his pants when he sees this beautiful blonde Swiss family together!”  
She paces up and down, mimicking Hannes.  
“Oh, what beautiful children the two of you have, mein Schatz! Huh, Adrian? Aren’t you proud of your family? Come on, let’s talk about manly stuff like fixing bicycles!”

Angela stands up as well, approaching her fiancée.  
“What are you talking about, Fareeha? Do you even listen to yourself?”  
“You know that’s what your father wants!”, the Egyptian says, “That’s what he wanted from the beginning! He’s been hating me from the first day on and no matter how hard I try, he will ALWAYS hate me!”  
“Look, I know that you’re pissed and you’re tired and there’s a lot going on-..”, Angela starts but Fareeha doesn’t listen anymore.  
“You know the actual reason I don’t want to settle down? Because I actually AM ready for the house and kids and family, I just can’t stand the fact of moving here!! Have you thought about that before?!”

Angela grabs Fareeha’s face.  
“Fareeha! Calm down! Please! We can talk like normal people, okay?”  
The Egyptian pushes her hands away, taking a step back.  
“No! I’ve reached the point where I can say that things are definitely NOT okay!!”  
“Stop screaming, please!”, Angela shouts, but Fareeha just turns around.  
“I’m sick and tired of this shit..”, she mumbles, walking towards the house.

“See? You’re running away from your problems instead of facing them!”, Angela says, more worried than angry, “You can’t run away from them forever!”  
“Khara”, Fareeha hisses, walking inside and bumping right into Hannes.  
“Is there a problem?”, he asks, raising his brow at her, but Fareeha just moves away and walks past him, grabbing her jacket from the hook and leaving the house.

 

Fareeha observes all the different people in the crowded bar she’s sitting in.  
It is dark and loud, but at least it distracts her from what happened a few hours ago.  
Fareeha feels guilty, she shouldn’t have screamed at Angela the way she did, but she still believes that what she said was right. And even if she wanted to head back and apologize, it’s already too late. She’s already had a few shots and doesn’t think about leaving yet.

“There you go, sugar”, the black haired waitress says with a smiley wink, as she places two more in front of her before she heads over to a few other customers.  
“Danke”, Fareeha mumbles, taking one of the little glasses and emptying it quickly.

“Fareeha?”  
The Egyptian turns her head, trying to find the person that knows her name.  
Alexander walks out of the darkness into the dimmed light at the counter where she is sitting.  
“Alex”, Fareeha says, “What are you doing here?”  
“The question is what are YOU doing here?”, he asks with a small chuckle before giving her a short hug, “I thought you didn’t drink alcohol.”  
“Well”, Fareeha starts with a shrug, taking the second glass and downing its content, “Tonight I am.”

She chuckles softly as she feels her cheeks getting warmer and moves her chair a little so Alexander can sit next to her.  
“Rough day?”, he asks before looking at the pretty waitress, “Zwei Whiskeys bitte! (Two whiskeys please!)”  
“Kinda..”, Fareeha admits with a sigh, “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”  
“That’s okay”, he says, leaning against the counter as he watches the waitress prepare the drinks.

“Two whiskeys!”, she says as places the glasses on the counter.  
Alexander pushes one of them over to Fareeha, who smiles politely.  
“You really don’t have to..”  
“Don’t worry about it, really. This one’s on me.”  
They clink their glasses before drinking some of the golden liquid.

Fareeha stays quiet for a while before she decides to ask him.  
“Hey Alex?”, she starts, putting her glass down, “When Nora introduced you to Hannes, how did he react?”  
The man rolls his eyes before chuckling.  
“Oh man, don’t remind me of that!”, he tells her, shaking his head with a smile, “It wasn’t great. He kept interviewing me and tried to irritate me, which worked at first. But that’s how dads are I guess.”  
“How is your relationship now?”, she asks, watching Alexander as he speaks.  
“Definitely better, especially since the kids are there”, he explains, “Why are you asking?”

Fareeha shakes her head before taking another sip of the whiskey.  
“Long story, man. There’s so much going on, I don’t even know where to start to be honest.”  
“Well”, he says with a smile, turning his chair so he’s facing her, “I have time. The night is long.”

So Fareeha tells Alexander what’s been happening since they got to Interlaken. She tells him about the first day they met, the many times he completely ignored their privacy, the investigation, the bike accident and the whole Adrian story.  
Alex is a good listener, he lets her talk and vent when she has to, always nodding, always trying to help.  
He orders a few more drinks for them, turning their conversation into a comfortable and friendly exchange of feelings and thoughts.

“I’m so sorry, I can keep talking and talking and talking when there’s alcohol involved..”, Fareeha says with a chuckle, shaking her head in embarrassment.  
Alexander laughs, patting her back.  
“No worries, Fareeha, no worries.”  
He checks his watch before letting out a sigh.  
“Oh man, it’s almost one thirty.”  
“Jesus Christ, for how long have we been talking?”, Fareeha asks in disbelief, looking at her phone to check if it’s really been that long already.

She can see Angela’s name on her screen, probably twenty times.  
“She tried to call me several times”, Fareeha says and she feels that guilt crawling back into the back of her head.  
She unlocks her phone to find more notifications, all unread messages.  
“Where are you?”  
“Can you please call me back? I’m worried!”  
“Fareeha, answer your phone.”

“I need to go home, I have to take Luis to school in a few hours”, Alexander explains, taking out his wallet to pay for the drinks.  
Fareeha puts her phone away and reaches for her own wallet instead, but he stops her.  
“I’ll take care of it.”  
Fareeha shakes her head.  
“Dude, you really shouldn’t..”  
“But I want to”, he says, before smiling at her, “I want to prove that not everyone here sucks ass.”  
The Egyptian smiles softly before nodding.  
“Alright. Thank you so much, Alex.”  
“No problem!”

They both get up from their seats and grab their jackets to leave, when Fareeha hears loud yells and laughter coming from behind her.  
She doesn’t understand what they’re saying, but Alexander turns around to look at them.  
Fareeha turns around as well to see a group of drunk men standing in the corner of the bar, talking to an omnic waiter, who seems to be serving them.  
They shout and bawl and laugh, pushing and pulling him from side to side as they try to grab the beers on his tray. When the omnic tries to leave the group, one of the men kicks him in the back, making him fall over and land in a puddle of beer, vodka and probably more.

“What the fuck?!”, Fareeha says, pushing a few tables aside to walk towards them, but Alexander holds her back.  
“You wait here, I’ll take care of it”, he says, walking past her, “You already have so much shit going on, you don’t deserve even more conflict.”  
Alexander is probably right, so Fareeha nods and waits at the counter, watching as he approaches the waiter to help him get up.  
He turns towards another waiter to ask for the manager, when suddenly the men get loud again.

They surround him and the omnic, seemingly pissed as they start shoving him.  
Fareeha tries to hold herself back, feeling how her stress level rises when suddenly one of them lunges out and hits Alexander’s face, making him and the waiter fall back to the ground.

“Woah, hey hey hey!”, she shouts, rushing over to the group while the other people in the bar start to notice the trouble as well, “Get away from them! Leave them alone!”  
As she tries to make her way through the people, the drunk men start kicking Alexander and the waiter, their dirty laughs filling the room.

“Stop!”, Fareeha shouts, grabbing one of their shoulders and pulling the man away, which sends him to the floor as well.  
“Was zur.. (What the..)”, one says as he looks at Fareeha while the others switch their attention from Alex and the omnic to the Egyptian.  
“Verpiss dich! (Fuck off!)”, another one yells as Fareeha pushes them away, when suddenly a bottle hits Fareeha head.

She groans loudly and takes a step back to collect herself as everyone in the bar is silent.  
The pain and shock paralyzes her for a second, making her dizzy  
“Fuuuuck”, Fareeha hisses, feeling her head.  
When she looks at her hand, it is covered in blood.  
She can feel how it runs down her forehead and drips on her jacket, how it mixes with the beer from the bottle and the sharp pain of the cuts in her skin.

Blood, so much blood.  
Dark and warm.  
Fareeha is still looking at her hand, moving her fingers a little to watch the blood drip down on the ground.

She moves her head a little to look at the men in front of her, none of them making a sound.  
The only thing she can hear is the familiar thumping in her head, as her breathing starts to get heavier and her body starts to shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Much. Drama. Oof. 
> 
> Compared to the first chapters, this is pretty dark, but Fareeha’s breaking point just had to happen sooner or later.
> 
> I hope you guys have a great week and stay healthy! (I’m still sick btw, yayy)
> 
> xx Caro :)


	7. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it’s Caro with the new chapter-o!  
> Thanks for being so nice to me in the comments, I always try to thank everyone each time, but I don’t think it’s enough.  
> Your support is what keeps me going, so this story is all your work (in some weird way haha)
> 
> Enjoy!

Fareeha is sitting on the stairs, facing the ground.  
“Kannst du dich bitte beruhigen? (Can you please calm down?)”, Alva says, trying to stop her fuming husband from shouting.  
“Nein ich werde mich jetzt nicht beruhigen! Wie kann man in so einer Situation ruhig sein?! (No, I’m not gonna calm down now! How am I supposed to be calm in a situation like this?!)”, he yells, pacing up and down the living room.  
Angela is leaning against the wall, looking at Fareeha in disbelief, but she doesn’t say anything.

Fareeha can’t get the image out of her head, how Angela looked at her when she got out of the police car, covered in blood, dirt and rain.  
It broke her heart to see the clear worry, but also pain and disappointment in her eyes as she lead her inside to help her clean up, while Angela’s parents talked to the officers.  
Fareeha hasn’t spoken a single word since.

 

Blinded by rage and determination she rushes towards the men, hitting the first one across the face, which makes him stumble back and hit the wall.  
The others try to help him by attacking her as well, but years of military training seem to be paying off as she dodges their fists and elbows, before she uses skilled techniques to fight them all off.

One of them grabs a char and throws it in Fareeha’s direction, but she turns her body so it can only hit her shoulder before she picks him up and throws him on the nearest table, making it break in half.

She positions herself to get ready for more attacks, but she doesn’t notice the guy behind her that pushes her, making her fall on the dirty ground.

Fareeha growls, turning her head to look at the man, who’s holding the broken bottle that hit her head in his hand.  
Just as he seems to jump her, Fareeha kicks him in the shin, making him scream in pain as he crashes on the floor, right next to her.  
She is fast and immediately climbs on top of him to start hitting his face repeatedly, watching how he screams and tries to crawl away from her.   
She doesn’t stop, not even when she can feel her own hand start to hurt, she’s completely numb to everything except the satisfying sound of her fist connecting with his face.   
Blood starts splattering on the ground and Fareeha’s arm as people try to pull her away from the man underneath her. 

“Fareeha, stop!”, Alexander shouts, trying to grab her arm, but she shakes herself free to continue her rampage, not even noticing how the man seems to get weaker.  
Her heart is pounding like crazy, drowning out all the other noises in the room, and for a second she feels like she is going to pass out when dizziness starts to replace her fury.

She looks down at the man’s bruised face as her punches slow down a bit.   
His face is completely messed up, his left eye swollen, his lips busted and his nose terribly crooked.  
She pants erratically, slowly moving her fist away and she stares in horror as he moves his head to the side to spit out blood.  
Her eyes land on her hands, on shaky fingers and bruised knuckles covered in blood.

Two other men, who seem to be working at the bar, use her hesitation to grab her arms, ripping her away from the beaten man and pushing her against the counter.  
Alexander checks on the omnic before he walks over to Fareeha.   
“Shit”, he mutters as he notices her state, carefully reaching out to touch her back, but backing away last second, “It’s okay, Fareeha. Calm down. Breathe.”  
The Egyptian closes her eyes when she hears sirens coming from outside, guilt and fatigue overpowering her.  
“Fuck..”, she mumbles.

 

“What even happened?”, Alva asks, worry written all over her face.  
“She started a fight in a bar!”, Hannes says loudly, “Completely beat the shit out of them! The police said one of them might be blind on one eye!”  
He’s still pacing up and down as he stares Fareeha down.  
“They said you could have killed him!”

Angela walks towards Fareeha before kneeling down at the stairs.  
“What is he talking about?”  
Fareeha avoids Angela’s eyes, but the woman won’t let her turn away from her.  
She takes a closer look at her while everyone in the room is quiet.  
“.. Did you drink?”  
Silence.  
Angela shakes her head in disbelief, her voice barely a whisper.  
“Please tell me that’s not true, Fareeha..”

Fareeha keeps looking away.  
Nothing, truly nothing can compare to the shame and guilt she’s feeling right now.  
She knows there’s no way to talk herself out of this.

“I’m sorry..”, she mouths, almost inaudible, but Hannes just shakes his head.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”, he yells at her, “But what do I even expect from someone like you. Soldiers.”  
He shakes his head in disgust.  
“All they know is to fight and destroy. War messes them up and they don’t know how to handle it.”

Hannes approaches the both of them, pointing his finger at the Egyptian.  
“I’m not gonna wait for the day where something ‘triggers’ you again and you beat up my daughter like you did that poor bastard at the bar!”  
“Fareeha would never do that”, Angela says, standing up to face her father.  
“Oh come on, Angela”, he says, looking at her, “Are you telling me that your dear Fareeha is completely fine?! Is that what you’re trying to say?!”

Angela looks down.  
Fareeha feels like someone is slowly and painfully ripping her heart out of her chest.

“Is that what you’re trying to tell me, that you REALLY think she’d be able to control herself?!”  
“Hannes..”, Alva mutters carefully, but her husband ignores her.  
“I’m not letting that happen”, he says, staring Fareeha down as he wraps his arm around his daughter, “You need some serious help, Amari.

Fareeha looks from Hannes to Angela, who is still facing the ground.  
“Habibti, you know I’d never do such a thing..”, she says gently, trying not to upset her.  
“I know..”, Angela mutters, “But.. Fareeha, this is serious. My dad is right, you need to let people help you..”

Fareeha scoffs in disbelief, shaking her head.  
“Please, Angela, don’t you see what’s happening? Your dad is totally turning you against me!”  
“I didn’t turn her against you, Amari, that was all your own fault”, Hannes says, rubbing Angela’s arm soothingly.  
“I know you can’t control your panic attacks and the nightmares”, Angela says quietly, “But drinking? You know exactly how alcohol affects you when you’re sensitive to violence, that’s why you stopped. Yet you still went to the bar to get drunk..”

Fareeha shakes her head, trying to find the right words, but Angela is right.  
It was her decision, her stupid idea to drink.   
“I..”, she starts but only sighs.  
“If you won’t let me help you, then how are things going to continue..?”  
“Exactly”, Hannes says with a nod, staying by her side.

“Oh, you know what Hannes?”, Fareeha asks, looking at him, “This is what you wanted all along, right? You didn’t like me from the second I walked in here!”  
“Oh please..”, Hannes says, shaking his head, “That’s not true. I’m a very accepting person.”  
“Yeah, that’s why you keep watching Angela and me 24/7, why you literally interrogated me like a criminal and why you talk about me like I’m some sort of monster just because I serve my country!”  
“It’s not my fault that you keep confirming my assumptions ”, Hannes says with a shrug.

Fareeha gets closer to him, clearly pissed.  
“You did research about me and used everything you could to make me feel like I don’t belong while I worked my ass off to be good enough!”  
“I only want what’s best for my family and I only let civilized and good-hearted people be apart of it.”  
“Well, maybe I don’t wanna be part of this fucking family!”

Alva gasps, followed by silence.  
Fareeha’s eyes widen at the realization of her words.  
The look on Angela’s face tears her apart.  
A mix of shock, disbelief, hurt and just pure sadness.  
“Angela..”, she starts carefully, “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant..”  
Fareeha can see how her fiancée’s blue eyes fill with tears, but she forces herself not to let them fall.   
Instead she squeezes them shut, shaking her head slowly.  
“Ya amar..”

Angela looks away from her, swallowing hard as she tries to keep it together.  
Fareeha tries to reach for her hand, but Angela pulls it away.  
“I’m sorry..”, she tries again, but this time Hannes steps between them.  
“I think you should leave this house.”  
Fareeha just looks past him, trying to meet Angela’s eyes, but the Swiss woman doesn’t look at her.  
“NOW.”

Fareeha sighs, looking at the floor.  
“...”  
Wordlessly she turns around to take her jacket and backpack from the hook.  
She reaches for the doorknob and opens the door, but not before turning around one last time, praying that her fiancée will be looking her way.

All she can see is Hannes standing in front of them, Alva hugging her daughter and stroking her back.  
He gives her one last nod and Fareeha understands.  
Without saying anything she steps out into the darkness, letting the rain soak her hair and clothes after she closes the door behind her.

She reaches for her phone in her pocket to call a taxi, but the screen is completely cracked and every attempt at turning it on doesn’t seem to be working. It must have happened during the fight earlier.  
Fareeha sighs, putting the phone away and wrapping her jacket even tighter around herself when the wind whips the rain in her face.  
She leaves the house and starts walking down the street to look for a bus station.

“Excuse me”, she asks a few strangers, “Could you tell me where the next bus stop is?”, but they either don’t know or don’t speak English.  
A woman with her dog, who seems to be on her way home, crosses the street when she sees the hooded figure with the bruised face walking on the same side as her, not giving Fareeha a chance to ask her for help.  
She even holds her thumb out whenever she sees a car approaching her, trying to hitch a ride, but nobody stops.

After a while she reaches the town where she stops at the tourist information to ask for help.  
“And where do you want to go?”, the lady at the counter asks her.  
“Zürich”, Fareeha says, wringing out her hair, “Zürich airport.”

 

A small beep confirms Fareeha’s fingerprint, before the doors open to let her walk inside.  
“Welcome, Pharah”, a robotic voice says, making the Egyptian smile faintly.  
“Hey, Athena.”  
Her footsteps echo through the hallway as she makes her way along huge windows that reveal big cliffs with metal structures and the blue of the Mediterranean sea.

After walking for a few minutes, she reaches the living quarters of the watchpoint, trying to sneak past the common room where several people seem to b talking and laughing, when she hears somebody’s voice calling after her.  
“Fareeha?”  
Silence.

She turns around to see the giant old man, opening his arms with a wide smile.  
“It’s you, haha!”, he laughs happily as he approaches her.  
“Hey Reinhardt”, Fareeha greets him quietly with a soft smile, letting him wrap his strong arms around her and pick her up in a big bear hug.  
“It’s so good to see you, Spätzchen!”, he says after placing her back down, ruffling her hair lovingly, “I thought you were on vacation in Switzerland! Where’s Angela?”  
Fareeha looks down at her hands.  
“She, um..” she starts, trying to explain the situation, but ends up just staying quiet when Reinhardt takes a closer look at her, his smile faltering slowly.  
“Oh..”

 

“Well..”, Jesse says, removing his hand to let Fareeha’s hair fall back in place, “At least it might leave a nice scar.”  
The Egyptian sighs, leaning the back of her head against the wall as she closes her eyes.  
“Great.”  
“Hey, you always wanted to have ‘cool battle scars’ when you were little”, he says with a shrug, leaning back as well to look back at the tv in front of them, where some random show none of them has seen before is playing.  
“I didn’t know what it meant back then..”

They are both sitting in Fareeha’s room on her couch, the blinds closed and the lights turned off.  
Jesse mocked her when he found Fareeha wrapped up in a blanket, but felt bad right afterwards.   
Reinhardt has told the others that she wants to be left alone for a while, which ended in everybody knowing what was going on. She has only acted like this before, when she found out that her mother disappeared or when she was in a fight with Angela, which was pretty rare.

She was okay with letting Jesse see her though, he is like a brother to her after all.  
She knows that he cares.

“Is Angela coming back?”, he asks carefully, watching Fareeha from the corner of his eyes.  
“I don’t know, to be honest..”, she mutters quietly.  
Her eyes land on the pictures on the wall, photos she has captured over the years.  
Photos of her mother, her friends, and most importantly Angela.  
A photo she took last fall when they tried to make pancakes for everyone, a photo of them in the air during training, a photo of a sleeping Angela with Fareeha making fun of her in the background.

“What about the wedding?”  
Fareeha pulls her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.  
“I.. I don’t know, Jesse, I really don’t know..”  
The cowboy frowns when he hears the little crack in Fareeha’s voice.  
“I’m sorry..”, he mutters, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him when she used the blanket to cover her face.  
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay..”  
Fareeha just stays silent, taking a few moments before she sits up again, pulling the blanket away from her face.

“You know what, this show sucks”, Jesse says, turning the tv off, “Why don’t we go outside for a bit, hm? Clear our heads and get some fresh air.”  
“I don’t want to go outside..”, Fareeha says, trying to make herself more comfortable, “You said it yourself, I’m gonna be okay.”

Jesse gets up.  
“We could get something to eat! Something you haven’t had in a long time, anything you want”, he says, patting Fareeha’s shoulder, “I’ll go and get us some really nice and big burgers, how does that sound?”  
“Thanks Jesse, but I’m not hungry..”, she mutters, turning her head away.  
He pouts slightly, trying to amuse her at least a little bit.  
“Not even a small one?”  
Fareeha just shakes her head, staying quiet.

Jesse crosses his arms in front of his chest, trying to think of anything that could possibly help her.   
“I’ll just try to get some sleep”, she says, turning her body so she’s facing the backrest of the couch as she pulls the blanket higher.  
Jesse sighs quietly, walking over to her.  
“Alright..”, he mutters, placing a pillow underneath her head before he rubs her back, “Try to get some rest.”  
Afterwards he walks out of her room, slowly closing the door behind him.

Fareeha stays awake for a while, just staring at the fabric of the couch. She wants to fall asleep, but there are too many things on her mind.  
Angela, her parents, the wedding, Angela, her panic attacks.. Angela.

 

“There you are, I thought I’d never find you.”  
Fareeha turns around when she hears Angela’s voice.   
She’s sitting outside at the cliffs of the watchpoint, taking one last look at the breathtaking sunset the view has to offer.  
“Oh hey, Angela..”, she greets her with an awkward smile.

“I’ve been looking all over for you”, the woman tells her, “I heard that you’re leaving tomorrow morning to go back to Egypt for a while. Seems like everyone knew, except me..”

Busted.

“Oh yeah..”, Fareeha says, scratching the back of her head, “Helix needs me again, so they asked Jack if Overwatch can spare me for some time. They need me to train the rookies.”  
“Oh..”, Angela mumbles with a small nod, “And.. why didn’t you tell me? Did I do something wrong?”  
She chuckles awkwardly, making the Egyptian shake her head wildly.  
“No no no, you didn’t do anything wrong!”, she explains, before looking away in embarrassment, “I just.. I’m not good at saying goodbye, you know?”  
“And that’s why you told everyone except me?”, Angela asks, raising an eyebrow as she crosses her arms.  
“N-No, it’s.. well..”  
Angela shakes her head with a chuckle, sitting down next to the her.  
“It’s alright..”, she says, “You don’t have to explain.”

They both look at the reflection of the sun on the water as the bright colors warm their faces.  
“It’s so crazy..”, Fareeha mutters after a short while, “When I was little, this was all I ever wanted. To work for Overwatch, protect the people and be a hero, like all my idols.”  
Angela nods and smiles as she listens to the woman next to her.  
“And here I am”, Fareeha continues happily, letting out a content sigh, “This is exactly where I wanted to be.”

“Your mother would be very proud of you”, Angela says, placing her hand on Fareeha’s shoulder.  
The look on her face stiffens a little.   
“That’s very nice of you to say but.. No”, Fareeha says, changing the way she’s sitting a little to get more comfortable, “But, it’s not like she can find out anymore, I mean, except if what everyone is saying is true and she’s sitting on a small cloud and looking down at me.”  
She forces a small chuckle and looks up at the sky, waving her hand, “Hey mom, haha..”

Angela looks at the smile on Fareeha’s face but she knows how tough it has been for her, how she locked herself away and refused to talk to anyone. She frowns at her attempt to look like she’s okay. Angela can still see the pain behind Fareeha’s eyes.  
“You know, it’s okay to mourn”, she tells her, noticing the slight change in Fareeha’s fake happiness.  
“I have mourned enough, Angela”, she tells her, looking at the water and how it crashes against the cliffs, “It’s time to move on. And I’m doing fine, really.”  
Fareeha’s stiff posture betrays her own words. 

Angela smiles sympathetically, reaching for Fareeha’s hands, who stares at the gentle gesture.  
“You know, it’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes”, she tells her, running her thumb along the bigger hands, “I know you want to look strong in front of everyone, Fareeha. Everyone knows how strong you are, you prove it almost every day. But showing your emotions doesn’t make you weak.”

Fareeha looks at her, completely dumbfounded.  
Angela just keeps smiling softly, lulling the woman in a trance-like state.   
“It’s the complete opposite actually”, she explains, “Staying true to your feelings and accepting the pain, that’s pure strength.”

Fareeha stares at Angela, at her beautiful ocean eyes, her beautiful smile, her overall beauty in general, and it makes her form the typical crooked smile she hates so much but just can’t control at the moment.  
Angela giggles softly at Fareeha’s face, making the Egyptian blush and hide her face by turning her head away.  
“You, Doctor Ziegler, are a miracle”, she says with a small chuckle, “How does something that makes absolutely no sense sound so right just by coming out of your mouth?”  
Angela shrugs, turning her head back towards the sunset.  
“Hm, I don’t know..”, she says with a little smirk, “Maybe because I’m right?”

They both stay quiet again, enjoying the peaceful silence.  
None of them feels like anything has to be said, they just enjoy the beautiful view, the sound of the waves and each other’s presence.

Fareeha holds her breath when she feels Angela’s fingertips gracing her own.  
She looks at Angela from the corner of her eyes.  
The woman doesn’t seem to be very affected by it the way she just looks into the distance with a content smile on her lips.  
Slowly, and very carefully, Fareeha moves her fingers a little, intertwining them with Angela’s fingers and trying not to startle her.  
Angela’s smile only grows a little, making Fareeha’s heart swell.

“For how long will you be gone?”, Angela asks, not moving her hand away.  
“I’m not sure”, Fareeha admits, “Could be a few weeks, could be a few months.”  
Her heart beats faster when she feels Angela’s head resting on her shoulder, her free hand wrapped around her biceps.  
“I’m gonna miss you.”

Fareeha has to control herself in order not to scream in excitement like a little school girl.  
Instead she forces herself not to grin like an idiot, which doesn’t work really well.  
“You’re not gonna miss me..”, she says with a short chuckle, “Things are gonna be the same way they used to be before I joined Overwatch.”  
Angela’s grip on her intensifies as she averts her eyes to hide how shy she is getting.   
“Maybe I don’t want them to be the way they used to be.”

Fareeha’s heart stops when Angela leans closer to kiss her temple.  
She turns her head to look at the woman, who meets her eyes and makes her feel like the world has stopped moving around them.

Her heartbeat speeds up as Angela rests her forehead against hers and she can feel her breath against her cheek. She places her hand on the back of her head and holds her closely as their lips finally meet for the first time in a soft and slow kiss.  
Fareeha feels like she is on fire as Angela’s lips move against her own and she is scared her heart might burst from excitement and happiness.

When they both pull away, Angela smiles shyly, a deep blush covering her cheeks.  
“Sorry about that..”, she mumbles, looking into Fareeha’s eyes.  
“What was that for?”, Fareeha asks, blushing just as badly as Angela as she smiles at her in disbelief.  
“Just a small reminder”, Angela explains, stroking her cheek, “that somebody is waiting for you when you come back.”

With that she closes the gap between them again, making Fareeha smile against her lips as they kiss like it’s not only their first, but their last time.

“You’re not making this any easier for me..”, Fareeha whispers, followed by a short laugh when Angela seems to be clinging to her lips.  
“I’m sorry..”, Angela apologizes just as quietly as she rests her head against her chin, snuggling closer to her, “I just had to make sure I’ll see you one more time before you’re gone.”  
Fareeha smiles happily, stroking Angela’s soft hair as she holds her closely.  
“I’m glad you did.”

They stay outside a little longer, watching the sunset until the moon replaced the sun’s reflection on the water.  
“Promise you’ll write?”, Angela asks, now lying in Fareeha’s lap as she looks at the stars.  
“I promise”, Fareeha says, looking down at her and watching how Angela’s eyes sparkle in the moonlight.  
“Promise you’ll be careful on every mission and make sure to ask for support whenever you need it instead of overestimating yourself?”  
The Egyptian rolls her eyes, but smiles.  
“Yes, I promise.”

Angela sits up, kneeling in front of her.  
“Promise you’ll come back safely?”  
Fareeha cups Angela’s chin, making her look at her.  
“I’ll be back, don’t worry about that.”  
She kisses her softly, making both of them smile.  
“I won’t disappoint you, ya amar.”

 

Fareeha opens her eyes.  
She’s back in her room, but light is shining through the windows.  
All the blinds are up, the windows are open, allowing a soft breeze to fill her quarters, and the smell of freshly brewed tea reaches her nose.

“What..?”, she mutters lazily, slowly turning around to have a better look.  
Someone runs their fingers through Fareeha’s messy hair, trying to get the knots out and to soothe her at the same time.  
“It’s okay, habibti.”   
Fareeha looks up at the woman sitting on the couch besides her.  
“Mom..”

Ana looks down at her daughter, her eyes soft and understanding.  
Her grey hair is in its usual braid and she wears a big sweater that smells exactly like Fareeha remembers it, like fruits and fresh blankets and home.

“Angela called me”, Ana says, still stroking Fareeha’s hair, “She sounded worried. Reinhardt told me that you’re here.”  
Fareeha still stares at her mother when reality hits her like a slap in the face.  
The bar fight, the argument at the house, all the things that went wrong.

Her lip starts quivering.  
“I tried so hard..”  
Her eyes fill with tears as loud sobs leave her mouth.  
“I tried so hard, mom!”  
She sits up to hug her mother tightly, burying her face in her neck as she cries violently like a small child.

Finally.   
Finally she can let it all out, all the tears, the sadness, the disappointment and the frustration.  
She doesn’t hold back anymore and cries like she hasn’t in years.   
Ana frowns as she strokes Fareeha’s back, trying to comfort her like she did when Fareeha was only a little girl.  
“Now now..”, she mumbles, rocking her daughter back and forth, “It’s okay, it’s all gonna be okay.”

And for the first time in a while, Fareeha actually believes that everything is gonna be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ana is back YAY!


	8. Mother knows best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people!
> 
> Because i’m very lame and unoriginal, I’m gonna keep saying the same damn thing, so again, thank you so much for all your nice comments and support! It makes my whole week to read them when I wake up, you guys have no idea.
> 
> As you might have seen, the tenth chapter is gonna be the last chapter of Swiss Disaster (if everything stays the way I planned it, I don’t trust myself lol).
> 
> I have so many ideas for the birds and their family though and I’m thinking about writing a second part to this, to continue their story.  
> But idk if people want to read it, so please let me know if you’d like me to continue! 
> 
> But enough for now, enjoy the chapter! :)

Ana keeps holding her daughter until she has calmed down again, stroking her head soothingly.  
Fareeha takes deep breaths to stop the silent sobs that escape her mouth every now and then as she is resting her head on Ana’s shoulder.

“Alright, habibti”, the older woman says, making Fareeha look at her so she can wipe her tears away, “Tell me what happened.”  
Fareeha sits up, rubbing her face and taking another deep breath before she starts telling her mother the whole story.   
Ana listens attentively, pouring Fareeha a cup of tea as her daughter talks about the Ziegler family, the trip to the mountain, Adrian, Angela’s birthday and the bar fight.

“Yeah, Angela told me about that”, Ana says, nodding slowly when Fareeha mentions the fight, “She also said something about nightmares. Do you know what she is talking about?”  
Fareeha looks away.   
She was hoping to avoid the topic.

“It’s nothing”, Fareeha says with a small shrug, “Nightmares are normal, everyone has them.”  
Ana raises her eyebrow.   
“Look at me.”  
She turns her head to look back at Ana.  
“She also told me about your panic attacks.”

Fareeha rubs her forehead.  
“Mom, as I said, it’s nothing.”  
“I’m not stupid, Fareeha”, Ana says, placing her hand on her cheek so she has to face her, “I’ve been in your shoes, I still am, and I know what it’s like. I know it really well.”  
Ana places her cup down before she turns her body towards Fareeha.  
“The nightmares, the panic attacks, they’re all too familiar. When you told me you wanted to become an agent and a soldier, I was terrified. I didn’t want you to experience these things as well, because I know how horrible they are. I wanted to protect you.”

Fareeha listens to her mother as she takes a sip of her tea.  
“Do you still have it?”, she asks, “The.. the, um..”  
“The PTSD?”  
Fareeha stops for a moment, before she nods slowly. She has never called it by its name.  
“Yeah.. the PTSD..”  
Ana leans back against the couch, looking out of the window.  
“It’s gotten better, way better actually”, she tells her, “It’s almost impossible to get rid of it completely. You can’t just erase your memories. But there are ways to make it better. There’s medication, therapy, different relaxation techniques, a lot that can help. But the first step is to acknowledge and to accept the fact that you’re suffering from it. Denial will only make it worse.”  
“That’s what Angela said as well..”

Ana looks at her daughter slouching her shoulders as she lets out a defeated sigh.  
“Angela worries about you..”, Ana tells her, placing her hand on her shoulder, “She knows you very well, probably better than I do.”  
“I know..”, Fareeha admits quietly.  
Her mother is right. All Angela tried was to help.  
She was there to calm her down when she experienced panic attacks, she was there to soothe her after her horrible nightmares, she was there to talk about it and to listen.. but Fareeha didn’t want to talk, didn’t appreciate the effort her fiancée put into helping her.

“Open up to her, habibti”, Ana says, “You’re about to get married, you’ve known each other long enough, and you trust her, right?”  
“Of course”, she says with a nod, remembering how Angela was finally brave enough to tell her about her future wishes and dreams, even though she was scared of her reaction.  
Why can’t Fareeha do the same?

“I just don’t want to burden her”, she admits quietly, before she gets up from the couch with a frustrated groan.  
“This whole thing sucks!”  
“I know, Fareeha”, Ana says, getting up as well, “But it’s there, and it will stay there if you won’t let Angela help you.”

She walks up to her, looking up at her face.  
“Close your eyes.”  
Fareeha rolls her eyes.  
“Mom, don’t be ridiculous.”  
“Do I look like I’m trying to be ridiculous?”, Ana asks in a warning tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
Fareeha sighs, listening to her mother and closing her eyes.  
“They are closed.”

Ana nods, before she sits back down on the couch, taking her cup of tea.  
“Try to imagine Angela in front of you.”  
“Mom, I swear to-..”  
“Ya maraary, Fareeha, just do it!”  
Fareeha takes a deep breath, straightening her back.  
“Okay..”  
Ana rolls her eyes as well, before she watches her daughter.

“Describe her. Not just her appearance, but her as your partner. What goes through your mind when you’re together?”  
Fareeha thinks.  
Where is she even supposed to start when she wants to describe her fiancée?   
There’s no way she can just summarize all of her qualities in a few sentences.

“Um..”, Fareeha starts, not used to this exposure in front of her mother, but she actually tries to go through with it.  
“Angela.. She’s.. radiant.”  
Ana nods slowly as she leans back.  
“It’s hard to describe her, I mean. Everyone knows how beautiful she is, anyone can see it, but.. What really defines her is her soul. She is gentle, soft, she is pure. She never fails to make people feel accepted and appreciated.”

Fareeha plays with her hands, keeping her eyes closed.

“I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about her that just hypnotizes me. I feel lost and so safe at the same time whenever I’m with her, I just can’t put it into words. Just to know that the person I choose to spend the rest of my life with chooses me too, it’s just.. It’s almost magical.”  
She chuckles slightly, shaking her head.  
“Man, it’s more than magical, it’s even better. Because it’s real.”

Ana smiles softly.

“It amazes me that, even after all the ups and downs, after all this time, she still wants to be with me. Sometimes I wonder how she does it, how she manages to look forward with a smile on her lips, even during the tough times. No matter what obstacles life throws at her, she’s there to continue and never gives up. She’s so strong.”

Fareeha opens her eyes to look at her hands.  
“She knows how much I love her”, she says, “At least I hope she does.”  
The woman looks to her right at the photos covering her wall.  
“Whether it’s being a good listener whenever she needs to vent on me.. or giving her small massages after a stressful day.. or making sure I cleaned the kitchen after cooking dinner.. It’s the little things.”

Fareeha decides to close her eyes again, furrowing her brow in concentration.  
“I hope she knows how loved she makes me feel. The way she smiles at me. The way she holds me. The way she cares. I also hope she feels the same way I feel about her. That she still feels that same connection. The security and the feeling of completeness. I want to be the person she wants and needs, the partner she deserves.”

“Do you sometimes feel like you’re not doing enough to make her feel that way?”, Ana asks, leaning forward.  
“Yes”, Fareeha says with a nod, “I want to do everything I can to prove how much I need her in my life and how important she is to me, that she can count on me and trust me.”  
“Does Angela ever tell you that you have to prove it?”  
“No, she has never done that before. But to me it’s just a thing that partners do. It’s a matter of course. I’m always there for her when she needs me, even if she doesn’t ask for it.”  
“And why is that so?” Ana asks, leaning forward.  
“Because I love her.”

Fareeha opens her eyes in realization.

She watches how Ana leans back, a satisfied smirk on her face.  
“There you have it, habibti.”  
Fareeha runs her hand through her hair, slowly understanding what her mother has been trying to tell her.

“Angela loves you”, Ana says softly, “She doesn’t want to help you because you’re weak, she wants to help you because she loves you. She wants to be there for you and care for you, just like you do. You’re not a burden, Fareeha.”

Fareeha nods slowly, trying her hardest to believe her mother.  
Deep down she knows that she’s right.  
Angela has never accused her of being weak or a burden, she has never told her that Fareeha should just ignore her problems. It has always been the opposite.

“Promise me you’ll open up, darling”, Ana says, “And if you don’t want to do it for yourself, please do it for Angela. For your future.”  
Fareeha nods again, before forming a small smile.  
“Okay, I will.”  
Ana returns the smile, opening her arms to invite Fareeha to sit beside her.  
Fareeha rolls her eyes again, but chuckles softly as she sits down next to her, leaning against her mother so she can wrap her arms around. 

“Please know, Fareeha”, she starts, rubbing her daughter’s arm, “I’m very proud of you. I have always been. You’re such a strong person, never forget that.”  
Fareeha looks at her mother, trying her best not to get emotional again.  
“Thanks mom”, she says quietly, completely blown away by Ana’s words.  
She has never expected to hear those words from her, since she decided to become a soldier against her mother’s wishes. She always thought she disappointed her somehow.  
Just knowing that she makes her proud gives Fareeha a fresh boost of confidence.

“Sooo.. You mentioned kids, huh?”, Ana says, raising an eyebrow with a smirk.  
Fareeha chuckles, looking at her hands.  
“Yeah..”, she mumbles with a small smile, “Angela told me that it’s been on her mind for a while. I can see it in her eyes whenever she’s with her nephews, it’s like her body is longing to have a child of her own.”  
“What about you?”, Ana asks, looking at her daughter.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Do you want to have a baby?”

Fareeha moves her gaze from her hands to her mother.  
“I do.”  
Ana smiles softly.  
“Oh man.. I know that you’re not a little girl anymore, but now it really hits me..”  
Both women laugh as they embrace each other, but Fareeha’s smile fades slowly.

“Well..”, she mutters, “That’s if Angela hasn’t changed her mind after what happened..”  
Ana pulls away to look at Fareeha.  
“This is Angela you’re talking about”, she says, “There’s nobody that knows her better than you do.”  
Fareeha nods, thinking.  
“.. What should I do?”  
Ana pats her shoulder as she shakes her head.  
“I bet you already know what to do..”, she says reassuringly before she gets up, “I’ll go get some fresh tea..”

Fareeha keeps thinking, folding her fingers in her lap.  
“Do that..”, she says, before she sits up straight, “Oh and.. Can you bring Reinhardt? I need his help.”

 

Fareeha stands in front of the big house, bouncing on her heels as she waits for someone to open the door.  
She takes a deep breath when the door opens, revealing the surprised face of her fiancée in front of her.  
“Fareeha”, she whispers softly, a mix of surprise and relief in her voice.  
“Hey..”, Fareeha says just as quietly, “Are your parents there as well?”

“Schatz, wer ist da? (Who’s there?)”, Alva asks as she and Hannes approach the entrance, all of them looking at the Egyptian when they see her.  
Fareeha tries to smile a little but stops when she tries to calm her nerves and looks down at the piece of paper in her hands.   
“Okay..”, she mumbles, almost inaudible, before she clears her throat. 

“Was ich getan habe war falsch (What I did was wrong)”, she starts reading slowly, trying to pronounce each word correctly, “Ich habe die Kontrolle verloren und ich weiß, dass ihr euch Sorgen um eure Tochter macht. Ich kann das Passierte nicht rückgängig machen, aber ich will beweisen, dass ich euer Vertrauen wieder verdiene. (I lost control and I know that you worry about your daughter. I can’t change what happened, but I want to prove that I deserve your trust again.)”

Angela shakes her head in disbelief as she hears Fareeha trying her hardest to speak that foreign language.   
Alva and Hannes seem to be very impressed as well by the way they are staring at her, Alva’s jaw dropped.

“Ich will an mir arbeiten und eine gute.. um.. (I want to work on myself and be a good..)”, Fareeha keeps reading before she stops to take a closer look at the word she’s trying to pronounce, “Sh.. shwiegertoch..”  
“Schwiegertochter? (Daughter-in-law?)”, Hannes asks, raising an eyebrow.  
“Yeah..”, Fareeha mumbles, “Ich will an mir arbeiten und eine gute.. Schwiegertochter und Ehefrau sein. (I want to work on myself and be a good daughter-in-law and wife.)”

Angela chuckles quietly, not trying to hide the little tears forming in her eyes.  
Fareeha smiles a little before she continues reading.

“Ich werde alles tun um eure Tochter glücklich zu machen und die Partnerin zu sein, die sie verdient. Sie ist alles für mich, und das hat sich und wird sich auch nicht ändern. Ich-.. (I’m gonna do everything it takes to make your daughter happy and to be the partner she deserves. She’s everything to me and that hasn’t, nor will it ever change. I-..”

Angela doesn’t want to wait anymore.  
She walks up to Fareeha and hugs her tightly, burying her face in her chest as the tears start to fall.  
Fareeha is surprised, but she smiles softly before she wraps her arms around her fiancée, holding her close. 

“I’m so sorry, habibti..”, she whispers against her head, swaying her gently.   
Angela shakes her head as she clings onto her body.  
“No, I’M sorry..”, she mumbles against Fareeha’s shirt before she looks up, “I was a horrible person this whole time, I was so happy to be back home, I didn’t even notice how uncomfortable you felt a-and I should have done more, I-..”  
She sighs, trying to find the right words.

“No, you did everything you could to help me”, Fareeha says, stroking Angela’s head, “I was just too proud to accept your help. I hope you can forgive me..”  
“You hope I can forgive YOU?”, Angela asks in disbelief, “Schatz, I hope you can forgive ME..”  
“I was never mad at you in the first place, please don’t cry, okay?”, Fareeha says, wiping her tears away.

Angela chuckles softly, trying to stop her tears.  
“God, why are we like this?”  
Fareeha chuckles as well, shrugging her shoulders before Angela grabs her face to kiss her softly.  
They just stand there, both of them relieved to just be back in each other’s arms as they kiss and hug each other.  
“I love you so much..”, Angela mutters when she pulls away, “And that hasn’t changed, not even a little bit.”  
“I love you too, ya amar”, Fareeha says, placing a kiss on Angela’s forehead before she hugs her again.

Alva sighs happily, clapping her hands together before she walks towards them to join the hug.  
“Welcome back, Fareeha”, she says, patting her shoulder before she looks at her husband.  
Fareeha follows her look to see Hannes still standing in the doorway.  
He stays silent and looks at her until he gives her a small nod.  
“Let’s go inside”, he says, stepping aside to make place.  
Fareeha is actually pretty surprised that he seems to be just as forgiving as Angela and her mother. 

“Oh, one moment”, Fareeha says, stepping away from the entrance to walk back to the street where her new rental car is parked.  
Angela smiles when her fiancée returns with company.

“Ana, Reinhardt!”, she exclaims, walking towards them to greet the pair with a hug.  
“Schön dich wiederzusehen! (Nice to see you again!)”, Reinhardt shouts with a big smile while Ana chuckles slightly.  
“I hope it’s fine that we’re here, Fareeha was too nervous to go alone.”  
“That’s not even true!”, Fareeha says with an offended tone in her voice, but Angela just laughs.  
“You’re all very welcome”, she says before she turns towards her parents, “Mama, Papa, this is Ana, Fareeha’s mother, and this is Reinhardt.”

“Oooh, nice to meet you!”, Alva says with a big smile, just like she greeted Fareeha when she met her for the first time.  
Hannes on the other hand is completely silent, looking at the group.  
“Nice to meet you too.. Alva, right?”, Ana says, shaking the woman’s hand before she looks at Hannes, “And you..”

She approaches the man who’s still standing in the doorway, nervousness written all over his face.  
“You must be Hannes”, Ana continues, raising an eyebrow as she looks up at the man, “Fareeha has told me so much about you. How nice to finally meet you.”  
“Nice to meet you too, Captain Amari..”, he mutters quietly.  
Fareeha thinks it’s amusing how Ana’s authoritative and confident appearance seems to unsettle him somehow. Even though he’s much taller than her, he looks so small next to her.

“Captain?”, Alva asks, turning around to look at them, “Do you two know each other?”  
“Not that I know”, Ana says, looking at Alva, then back at Hannes.  
“... No”, Hannes says, shrugging it off, “Why should I know her?”  
“You called her Captain”, Alva repeats, completely confused.

“Wait..”, Fareeha says, a little confused, “You didn’t tell her about all the research you did?”  
“What research?”, Alva asks, just as confused as Fareeha.  
“Oh my god, Papa, don’t tell me you actually researched Fareeha’s whole biography”, Angela says, rubbing her head in annoyance.  
Hannes averts his eyes.  
“Well, not everything”, he mutters, shrugging again, “Only her career.. and her role in Overwatch.. and her family..”

“Wait, Overwatch?”, Alva asks, “Where Angela used to work?”  
“You know about Overwatch?”, Angela asks as well, staring at her dad.  
Fareeha chuckles, mumbling quietly.  
“Oh wow, you really didn’t tell her..”  
“You knew he knew??”, Angela says, turning around to look at Fareeha.   
“Well, yeah”, Fareeha says with a nod, “He confronted me with it right on the first day.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me??”, Angela and Alva ask at the same time, looking at their partners.

Ana only raises her arms in defense, taking a few steps back towards Reinhardt to not be in the middle of the discussion anymore.

“I knew that once I told you about Overwatch, you’d only encourage Angela to follow that path”, Hannes explains, making Alva shake her head and roll her eyes.  
“Hergott, Hannes!”, she mutters, clearly mad, “That’s Angela’s decision, it’s HER life! SHE has to decide what feels right to her, and if that’s with Overwatch, I’ll definitely support her.”  
Angela smiles softly, taking her mother’s hand.  
“Danke, Mama.”

She looks back at her father, raising her brows when he doesn’t understand what she’s trying to tell her.  
“.. Was? (What?)”  
Angela sighs, before she points her head towards Fareeha, who’s standing on the stairs, not really knowing what to do.  
“.. Ach ja. (Oh right.)”

He takes a step towards Fareeha, feeling observed by everyone around him.  
“Do you have a second?”, he asks her, “I want to talk to you.”

 

Hannes and Fareeha sit down in the living room, while Alva and Angela lead Ana and Reinhardt to the garden for some tea. 

Hannes sits down on the couch, moving a few magazines away to make space for Fareeha.  
“Please have a seat.”  
Fareeha sits down, an expectant feeling inside of her.   
She feels confident now that Angela has told her dad to talk to her, already preparing herself to accept his apology and to end this seemingly never ending conflict between the two of them, even after everything that has happened.

“Amari”, Hannes starts, looking at the woman next to him, who gives him a reassuring and almost understanding look.  
“I want you to answer some serious questions and I’m not letting you leave before you answered each one of them truthfully.”

Fareeha looks at him in disbelief.  
“.. Are you being serious right now?”  
“I’m the one asking the questions so you better listen.”  
The Egyptian looks away, shaking her head.  
“Goddammit, and here I am thinking you were actually trying to declare a truce.”  
“Not everything is about war, you know.”  
“I didn’t say anything about-..!”, Fareeha starts, but contains herself, closing her eyes.  
“Okay.. okay, you know what? Just ask the questions.”

Hannes sighs in annoyance.  
“Finally. You have to either deny or confirm what I’m going to say. Okay?”  
He looks at Fareeha, who nods in approval, before he starts.  
“You are a soldier and an agent of Overwatch.”  
“Yes”, Fareeha says, looking at Hannes.   
“You suffer from nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks.”  
“Yes.”  
“You have a posttraumatic stress disorder.”

Fareeha looks at him, taking a deep breath before she opens her mouth again.  
“.. Yes.”  
Hannes nods, continuing his questions.  
“Have you killed someone before?”  
“Yes.”  
“Was it due to any flashbacks or the ptsd?”  
“No.”  
“Did you want to bring Angela her wallet even though you didn’t really know how to control a bike?”

Fareeha rolls her eyes, but nods slowly.  
“Yes.”  
“And did you do that because you desperately were seeking our approval?”  
She looks at him, suddenly feeling like Hannes knows how to read minds, and she doesn’t like it.  
“.. Yes.”  
“Because you love my daughter Angela?”  
“Yes..”  
“Do you want to marry her?”

Fareeha looks at him, trying to read his emotionless expression.  
“I do”, She tells him, nodding slowly, “But to be honest Sir, I don’t know if it’s gonna be that easy anymore.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Fareeha rests her arms on her knees, leaning forward.  
“I don’t know how else I’m supposed to say it but, right now I’m more than terrified to be your daughter-in-law. This whole weekend has given me nothing but doubts whether I can even survive in this family.”

Hannes just looks at her, not saying anything.  
That’s Fareeha’s clue to keep talking.

“I think you’ve got some serious issues, Mr. Ziegler”, she says, looking him straight into the eyes, “I know that I love your daughter, I love her more than anything and I want to marry her.. But I’m going to lose my last bit of sanity if things keep going on like this.”

Hannes nods slowly.  
Fareeha can’t really read his face, not that she ever could before.  
But this time it’s still different. 

“You know..”, he starts, looking down at his hands, “Alexander called and told us what happened at the bar the day after you left.”  
Fareeha watches him lean back against the couch.

 

~

 

Alva sits next to Angela on the couch, still comforting her after what happened the day before.  
Hannes walks out of the kitchen with two mugs in his hands, placing them on the table in front of them.  
“Zwei Kaffees, bitte schön (Two coffees, there you go.)”  
He looks at the women, waiting for a reaction, but Alva doesn’t look away from her daughter while Angela just keeps staring at the ground.

Hannes rolls his eyes, dropping his arms in defeat.  
“Ach kommt schon (Oh, come on)”, he mumbles before walking closer to them, “Sie hat sie verprügelt! Irgendwas ist definitiv falsch mit ihr, sie ist gemeingefährlich! (She beat them up! Something is definitely wrong with her, she’s a loose cannon!)”  
“Sie hat die beiden verteidigt (She protected the both of them)”, Angela mumbles, not looking up at her father.

He just shakes his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
“Du bist blind, Angela (You’re blind, Angela)”, he tells her, “Diese Frau war von Anfang an eine Gefahr für alle! Es muss ja nicht ihre Schuld sein, aber ihre Vergangenheit hat sie ruiniert! (This woman was a threat to everyone right from the beginning! It doesn’t have to be her fault, but her past has ruined her!)”

“Nein, Papa!”, Angela says, raising her voice when she finally looks at him, “DU bist blind! (YOU’re blind!)”  
Hannes stares at her, surprised by his daughter’s tone.   
“Ich lies dich sie rausschmeißen, aber nur um ihr ein bisschen Abstand zu diesem ganzen Zirkus zu geben! Ich werde mir keine weiteren deiner unglaublich respektlosen Worte ihr gegenüber anhören! Ich hab echt genug davon! (I let you kick her out, but only to let her have some distance to all this fuss that’s going on! I’m not gonna listen to any more of your incredibly disrespectful words towards her! I’m sick and tired of it!)”

Hannes keeps staring at her, completely dumbfounded.  
He watches Angela’s face turn from anger to sadness as she shakes her head slowly, disappointment in her eyes.  
“Ich liebe dich, Papa.. (I love you, Papa..)”, she mumbles, looking at him, “Aber manchmal kannst du ein richtiges Arschloch sein. (But sometimes you can be a real asshole.)”

With that she gets up, leaving her coffee on the table as she walks upstairs to her room.  
Hannes tries to find his words, opening his mouth to say something, but he stays silent.  
Alva gets up as well, letting out a heavy sigh.

“... K-Kannst du das glauben? (Can you believe that?)”, Hannes asks his wife, staring at her in disbelief.  
Alva looks at him, almost sympathetically.  
“Weißt du, Hannes (You know, Hannes)”, she starts, “Vielleicht ist es an der Zeit darüber nachzudenken, was Angela will (Maybe it’s time to think about what Angela wants.)”

She looks at him for a little longer, making sure he gets her point, before she walks after Angela.  
Hannes just stands there, looking after his wife before he sits down on the couch, rubbing his face.

 

~

 

Hannes turns his body so he’s facing Fareeha directly.  
“If I lighten up..”, he starts, making sure she’s listening to him, “Would you consider marrying my daughter?”  
Fareeha chuckles, looking almost offended.  
“Would you lighten up A LOT?”  
Hannes rolls his eyes, shrugging slightly.  
“Well, yeah..”, he mumbles quietly.  
“Yes or no?”, Fareeha asks again, wanting to hear a clear answer.  
Hannes takes a deep breath, looking at her.  
“Yes.”

“Will you let Angela and me live our lives and not interfere all the time?”  
“I promise not to interfere in your lives ALL the time..”  
Fareeha sighs, taking a short moment to just accept the fact that Hannes is going to be Hannes and that it’s not going to change overnight.

“Okay..”, she mutters, “Will you let Angela make her own decisions whether it’s about her career or her family future?”  
“Yes.”  
“Will you stop degrading our choice to be involved with Overwatch again?”  
Hannes takes a few seconds, clearly forcing himself to overcome his dislike towards the organization.  
“... Yes. But hey, let me finish my questions first!”

He moves closer to Fareeha to get his point across.  
“If you married my daughter, would you support her in the way that she deserves to be supported?”  
Fareeha looks at him before nodding.  
“Yes.”  
“Will you work on yourself to become a healthier person and will you be honest and open to her?”  
“Yes.”  
“Will you devote yourself entirely to her for the rest of your life?”  
“I devoted myself to her the moment she said that she loves me back.”

Hannes looks into Fareeha’s eyes, not saying anything for a short moment.  
Fareeha looks back at him, not averting her eyes or making a move to break the contact.

“Chief Amari”, he says, holding out his hand, “Promise to take good care of my daughter. She deserves it.”  
Fareeha looks at his hand.  
Is Hannes really doing his? Is he taking the first step?  
She moves her gaze from his hand to his face, before she shakes it firmly.  
“I promise, Sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more chapters my dudes, I’m excited! And I hope you are as well!
> 
> I hope you all have a nice Christmas!
> 
> xx Caro :)


	9. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people!
> 
> Sorry for the late update, I hate myself so much for not keeping up with my schedule and I’m so sorry.   
> Christmas and New Years kept me more than busy and work literally ate every last bit of my energy, I could barely find the time to write, but I kicked myself in the butt to keep going so here it is!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and Happy New Year!

Hannes and Fareeha walk out of the house to join the others in the garden.   
Alva, Angela, Ana and Reinhardt are sitting at the table of the terrace, chatting and drinking tea, but they are not the only ones.  
Nora and Alexander are there as well, getting to know the new pair while Luis sits on the swing, looking at the man who’s kneeling in front of him.

“What is Adrian doing here?”, Fareeha mutters when she reaches Angela’s chair, making the woman sigh.  
“To he honest”, she starts, turning her head towards her before rolling her eyes, “I have no idea..”

“Welcome back”, Nora greets her with a soft smile, not getting up to make sure Eli stays asleep in her lap, but Alexander walks towards her immediately.  
“Hey”, he says, patting her back when they hug, “How are you doing? Are you feeling better?”  
“Yeah”, she says, smiling reassuringly, “I’m good. What about your eye?”

Alexander’s left eye is still swollen from the night at the bar where one of the men hit him across the face. There are also a few more little bruises on his chin and temple, but they are nothing compared to the cut on Fareeha’s forehead that still seems to be healing quiet well though.  
“It’s getting better”, Alexander says, carefully touching his bruise, “It’ll be gone soon.”

“Thank you so much, Fareeha”, Nora says, making them both turn their heads, “Thank you for helping Alex, I don’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there to help him.”  
Alexander nods, placing his hand on her shoulder.  
“She’s right. I really appreciate what you did back there”, he tells her, “I owe you something.”  
“You owe me nothing”, Fareeha says with a smile, “I’m only glad that things are getting better again.”

Fareeha can see her mother and Angela smiling at her from the corner of her eye. Alva and Reinhardt are too deeply involved in their conversation, they didn’t even listen to what Alex and Fareeha were saying.  
Hannes just watches everyone quietly.

“Hannes, setz dich doch, mein Freund! (Have a seat, my friend!)”, Reinhardt shouts, pulling the chair between him and Alva back to invite the man to sit with them.  
He walks over to them and sits down, a little intimidated by Reinhardt’s size and loud voice, but he smiles a little.  
“Okay..”

“Fareeha!”, Luis shouts, making the whole table watch as he jumps from the swing and runs past Adrian right towards the Egyptian.  
They both grin happily when Fareeha catches him midair when he jumps up.  
“Hello big guy!”, she greets him, ruffling his hair, “How have you been?”  
“Good!”, he says enthusiastically, holding onto her, “Can you come play with me? I have my ball!”

Adrian walks towards the table, rubbing the back of his neck as he approaches them.  
“He didn’t want me to push him on the swing, I don’t know why..”  
“It’s fine, I can take over now”, Fareeha says with a smile, putting the boy on the ground, “Right buddy?”  
“Yesss!”, he says excitedly before running off.

“Sorry about that..”, Nora says with a small chuckle, but Fareeha waves her off.  
“It’s alright, I just hope I have enough stamina for him.”  
Angela laughs when her fiancée walks after Luis.  
“Make sure you tire him out!”  
“I’ll try!”

 

After almost two hours Luis and Fareeha are still on their feet, running through the big garden and chasing one another, the ball long forgotten.   
The boy laughs loudly whenever Fareeha grabs him and throws him over her shoulder to carry him around, before he fights himself free and starts running again.  
They also play the same game they played on Angela’s birthday where Fareeha pretends to fall and let Luis win their chase, completely making a fool of herself to make him laugh.

“And you really want kids with ‘that’?”, Ana mutters quietly with a raised eyebrow, leaning closer towards Angela.  
“Did she tell you about that?”, Angela asks her, smiling shyly and making Ana smirk.  
“Mhm..”, she mumbles, rubbing the woman’s back, “I’m glad you brought it up to her, sweetheart. Otherwise she would have never gotten her ass in gear. I’ve been waiting too long, I want grandchildren.”  
Angela chuckles, watching her fiancée with a smile on her face.

“Luis, kommst du bitte? (Come here please!)”, Nora calls her son while Alexander puts the sleeping Eli in his carrier, “Wir fahren nach Hause! (We’re going home!)”  
“Uuugh”, the boy groans, getting up from Fareeha who he has ‘successfully defeated’, “Aber es ist doch noch gar nicht spät! (But it’s not even late yet!)”  
“Du musst morgen wieder zur Schule! (You have to go back to school tomorrow!)”, Nora says, helping Alexander before she looks back at Luis, “Komm, es wird Zeit! (Come on, it’s time!)”

He crosses his arms and pouts but slowly starts walking to the terrace.  
“I have to go”, he tells Fareeha sadly, looking back at her to make sure she’s coming with him.  
“Aw, I’m sorry”, she says, getting up from the ground and wiping the grass and dirt from her pants and shirt before she does the same with Luis clothes, “Soon enough we can play as often as you want. Once we live here you’re always invited to visit Angela and me.”  
Luis smiles at her.  
“Really?”  
“Mhm”, Fareeha mumbles with a nod, smiling as they both walk to the terrace.

“Mama, Fareeha sagt ich darf sie und Tante Angela besuchen sobald sie hier wohnen! (Mama, Fareeha said I can visit her and aunt Angela when they move here!)”, he tells his mother excitedly.  
“Oh you’re moving here?”, Nora asks Angela, who seems to be as surprised as her sister.

“Oh, well, we talked about it, but..”, Angela starts with a chuckle before she looks at Fareeha, “Did you tell him that?”  
“Yup”, Fareeha says with a smile as she sits down next to her.  
“I thought you didn’t want to..”, Angela says, taking Fareeha’s hand as she looks at her.  
“Pfff, I never said that!”, Fareeha says, chuckling awkwardly as she tries to ignore Hannes’ offended glance, “I was just completely taken by surprise. But I know that I want to settle down with you and I also know that you’re right about the apartments not being enough for our future.”

Angela smiles softly, using her thumb to stroke Fareeha’s hand.  
“Schatz, I don’t want you to agree with me just to make me happy.”  
“I’m not”, Fareeha says, “I have always known that I want to spend my life with you, to have a family and to grow old together. I just.. I never thought that those things would all come true one day, I thought I didn’t deserve them. And now that we’re getting married, that this is all real..”  
Fareeha chuckles softly, squeezing Angela’s hand.  
“.. It hit me. This is my life. I deserve this future, WE deserve it. And just imagining you and me in thirty years in our own house with our own garden and our own driveway with grandkids and all that goes with it, it makes me feel so excited, I can’t even explain it, habibti.”

Angela smiles happily, kissing Fareeha’s hand.  
“And you’re okay with being stationed here in Europe instead of Egypt?”  
“I bet I have to do a lot of traveling, whether it’s to Spain or Egypt or other places around the world”, Fareeha says, “I probably have to spend a lot of time in Gibraltar, it’s the closest watchpoint. And I bet they need you there as well as often as possible, you’re the best medic they have, no offense mom.”  
“No offense taken”, Ana says, shrugging slightly before she rests her head against her hand, thinking.  
“We’ll make it work somehow”, Angela says, leaning against Fareeha and resting her head underneath her chin.

Reinhardt looks at Ana, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smile.  
“Come on, just tell them.”  
Fareeha moves her gaze from Angela to her mother.  
“Tell us what?”  
Ana is still pondering on whether she should say something or not, but she takes a deep breath, rolling her eyes when Reinhardt shoves her gently.

“Well..”, she starts, “This was supposed to be kept secret for a few more months until everything is ready, but I guess I have to tell you now thanks to this idiot here.”  
Reinhardt tries to look offended, but he just crosses his arms with a proud grin in his eyes.  
“What do you mean?”, Angela asks, still leaning against Fareeha.  
Ana takes a sip of her tea before she puts her cup down.  
“We’re rebuilding the Swiss headquarters.”

The women stare at Ana with wide eyes.   
“Wait.. what?”, Fareeha asks, looking at her mother in confusion.  
“Are you deaf, habibti?”, Ana says, shaking her head before she continues talking, “Jack met up with the high-ups of the UN. Turns out they actually contacted HIM when they found out he was still very much alive, not the other way around. They want him to gather all the old agents again and they provide him with all the help he needs to recall Overwatch.”

“Overwatch?”, Nora, Alexander and Adrian say at the same time, looking at Ana and then at Angela and Fareeha.  
“Lange Geschichte (Long story)”, Angela explains. 

Fareeha feels even more confused.  
“But.. What about the Petras Act?”, she asks, looking at her mother, “It says all Overwatch operations are illegal and-..”  
“Punishable by prosecution, I know”, Ana finishes her sentence with a nod, “But seems like they noticed how the disbandment was only the start of the rising crime rate and terrorist incidents which only made the whole situation worse and resulted in even more chaos around the world.”  
“Took them long enough to figure that out”, Fareeha mumbles quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”, Angela asks.   
“As I said, Jack and I talked about it and decided it would be best if we make sure this stays under the radar before too many people find out”, Ana explains, “But now that you know, I can tell you that the reconstruction has already started and that it’s not gonna be that long until we can start working at our new headquarters. We’re going to tell the other agents in a few months, probably..”  
“And why does Reinhardt know if it was a secret between you and Jack?”, Fareeha asks, raising an eyebrow.   
“Well..”, Ana starts, trying to hide the guilt in her face as she shrugs softly, looking as innocent as possible, “I don’t know. It MIGHT have slipped..”

“But Schatz, this is perfect!”, Angela says, holding Fareeha’s hands as she smiles at her, “We can both continue our work and focus on our family at the same time, you don’t have to give up what you fought for.”  
“This is all we ever wanted..”, Fareeha agrees with a nod, slowly realizing that things finally seem to be working out for both of them, “.. This is it.”  
“This is it”, Angela says, still grinning before she gives her a kiss.

“So you will actually move here?”, Alva asks with an excited smile, “You will live here and we get to see you more often?”  
“Mhm”, Fareeha says, not really paying attention as she can’t take her eyes off Angela who’s snuggling closer to her, both of them caught in their own little bubble of happiness.   
“I can’t wait..”, Angela mumbles, looking up at her fiancée as she strokes her cheek.  
Fareeha starts blushing and grins widely, trying to smile it off, but she can’t ignore the snickering coming from their mothers.

“So that means you’re taking one of the houses I showed you, Angie?”, Adrian asks her.  
Fareeha looks down at Angela before shrugging softly.  
“I mean, there were a few that you liked, right?”  
“We’ll see about that”, Angela says, “Fareeha hasn’t seen any of them yet and we have to choose a home together.”

“Komm, Luis, wir müssen los (Come on, Luis, we gotta go)”, Nora tells her son again, patting his shoulder.  
Luis sighs before he walks over to their chairs.  
“Bye Fareeha, Tschüss Tante Angela”, he mumbles, still a little disappointed that they have to leave as he gives both of them a hug.  
“I should go as well”, Adrian says with a nod, grabbing his jacket.  
“Kommt gut nach Hause (Get home safe)”, Angela says, smiling at them.

“Oh and Angela”, Nora continues, “There’s A LOT we have to plan! We still have to find you a dress, so call me when you can find the time, okay?”  
“Okay”, Angela says with a small chuckle before she makes herself comfortable against Fareeha’s body again.  
“Bye everyone!”, Alexander says, waving with his free hand while he carries Eli with his other one.

Ana smiles at them, happy that there are some people that let Fareeha in the moment they met her without any prejudices or hesitation.   
She turns her head to see everyone else saying their goodbyes as well.  
Almost everyone.  
She notices how Hannes has been quiet for a while, looking pretty unhappy.  
He doesn’t seem angered or mad, more conflicted.

While Alva and Reinhardt continue their little chat and Angela and Fareeha seem to no longer be receptive in any kind of way since they’re back together anyway, Ana decides to get up from her chair.

“Hey Hannes, would you mind showing me where I can get some water for the next tea?”, she asks him as she approaches him.  
“Oh, of course”, he says, obviously ripped out of his thoughts, while he gets up as well, “Follow me.”

They both walk inside to the kitchen where Hannes fills the kettle with fresh water before placing it back on the stove.  
“Here”, he says, turning to walk back outside, but Ana grabs his shoulder before he can leave the kitchen.  
“Wait a second”, she says, “I have to talk to you.”

Hannes turns around, leaning against the counter. He crosses his arms in front of his chest to make himself feel a little more confident, but it doesn’t impress Ana even a bit.  
“I know you’re not happy that I told them the news”, she says in a calm tone, pulling the chair back to support herself on the backrest, “It’s written all over your face and I don’t even have to know you very well to see it.”

Hannes keeps his arms crossed as he lets out a small sigh.  
“I’d be lying if I said I was happy”, he mumbles, “I still don’t support Overwatch’s ideology and how they’re handling conflicts. It just doesn’t fit Angela. She doesn’t deserve to be exposed to such violence and to be identified with this organization. She’s a doctor, not a soldier. She wants to heal the people, not bring pain.”

“So you’re saying that all that soldiers do is bring pain?”, Ana asks with a raised eyebrow, but she doesn’t try to aggravate him. Instead she tries to stay as calm as she was.  
“Well.. yes”, Hannes says, “They fight, they kill..”  
“And for what?”, Ana keeps asking, “For the people. They sacrifice themselves, their lives and their own mindsets so the people don’t have to be involved with the violence and cruelty of this world.”

Hannes averts his eyes, not saying anything.  
“Angela is a brilliant doctor and scientist, that’s why Overwatch made her the head of medical research”, Ana continues, “She saves so many people, so many lives with her work. You can be proud of her. Just like I am of my daughter.”  
Hannes chuckles, looking back at her.  
“That’s easy for you to say, you’re a soldier yourself, of course you would support your daughter working for Overwatch as well.”

Ana has to contain herself not to start laughing.  
“Oh, you really have no idea. How sad that you couldn’t find that aspect during your research.”  
Hannes swallows hard, turning his head away to hide his embarrassment.  
“When Fareeha told me she wants to become a soldier, I was furious”, she tells him, returning to her calm voice, “The last thing I wanted for my daughter was to have the life I had. I wanted to protect her and keep her away from all the dangers of the world, she’s my baby after all.”

“So.. you DO understand me..”, Hannes mutters quietly.  
“I do”, Ana says with a nod, “We’re more similar than you think. But this proves that you can learn to trust Angela’s decision and to support her with the choices she makes, just like I did.. Whether they involve her work or her life.”

The man sighs again, looking out of the window where he sees his daughter and Fareeha cuddling in their chairs, both a content smile on their faces as they listen to Alva and Reinhardt.  
“Trust me, I know it’s hard to understand, but they are grown up. They are independent and they don’t need us to make their decisions anymore”, Ana says, “We need to respect that, otherwise we’ll lose them. And you have to believe me when I say that losing your child is the worst pain you have ever felt. Nothing can prepare you for it.”

She takes the boiling kettle from the stove to pour the water in a teapot.  
Hannes still hasn’t taken his eyes off his daughter and Ana smiles sympathetically, feeling like she has finally reached his heart and mind.  
“I don’t want to lose her”, he says quietly.  
“I know”, Ana says, picking up the teapot and approaching him slowly, “Participating in the life of your children is such a precious privilege. Cherish it.”

With that she makes her way out of the kitchen, walking back outside to join the others at the table.  
Hannes just looks after her silently.  
It hasn’t happened very often before, but Hannes Ziegler is completely speechless.

“So”, Alva says, patting the table, “What are your plans while you’re here in Interlaken?”  
“I would love to see the mountains, but also the lakes”, Reinhardt says, leaning back in the chair and making it creak painfully, “What about you, Ana?”  
“Sounds good to me”, she says as she sits down next to the man, “Fareeha told me the town is pretty nice and there’s a good restaurant at the water.”  
“Oh yeah, I know what you mean”, Alva says with a nod.  
“They have amazing food, you should really check it out”, Fareeha says before she turns her head back towards Angela who’s snuggled against her chest. 

Ana watches her daughter and how affectionate Fareeha and Angela are being at the moment.  
Even the short time apart must have been hard for both of them, they crave each other, they need this.

“I’d love to go there”, she says, looking at Alva as she places her hand on Reinhardt’s shoulder, “Would you mind showing us the town? And we could have dinner at the restaurant afterwards, I’ll treat you and Hannes!”  
“Oh, you don’t have to, really!”, Alva declines politely.  
“I know, but I want to”, Ana says, staying stubborn, “I’ll pay and you show us around, if you’re free of course.”  
Alva nods with a smile.

“Okay, alright. Let’s do that then!”, she says enthusiastically before she spots Hannes walking out of the house, “Hannes, wir zeigen den beiden die Stadt! Mach dich fertig! (Hannes, we’ll show them the town! Get ready!)”  
The man still looks a little dumbfounded as he looks at his wife and the new guests, rubbing the back of his head before he walks back inside to get his things.  
“Okay..”

Fareeha looks at her mother who just winks at her, making sure she understands.   
“What about you two, are you coming with us?”, Alva asks them, but before Fareeha can even say anything, Angela interrupts her.  
“I think we’ll stay here and relax a little, Fareeha deserves it.”  
The Egyptian smiles happily, rubbing Angela’s back.  
“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Alright then, get up big guy!”, Ana tells Reinhardt as she gets up from her chair, “Let’s give them some alone time.”  
Fareeha just looks at her mother with a grateful smile.  
“Thank you”, she mouths silently.  
Ana nods with a grin on her face.  
“'Afwân..”

 

Later that evening Angela and Fareeha are still outside.   
Not a single cloud is covering the dusky sky where orange meets a dark blue and a few stars are starting to appear.  
Fareeha is leaning against the tree while Angela has her head rested on Fareeha’s thigh, enjoying her fiancée’s fingers in her hair.

The Egyptian moves her head when she hears a fluttering sound, looking up at the branches.  
The bird she watched a few days ago just landed in the tree.  
It makes many little hops towards the nest it built, where another bird is sitting and starts feeding it.  
It stays there for a while, flying from branch to branch and for some odd reason Fareeha thinks that it’s looking down at both of them.   
She chuckles at the ridiculousness of her mind and shakes her head, looking after the bird when it flies away again.

“What are you laughing at?”, Angela mumbles, opening one eye to look up at Fareeha.  
“Nothing”, Fareeha says with a soft smile as she continues to stroke her head.  
Angela stretches her arms and legs before she lets out a satisfied sigh.  
“Hmmm..”  
She sits up to move closer to Fareeha, sitting between her legs so she can rest her back against her chest.

“I’m so happy you’re back..”, she mutters, taking Fareeha’s hand to play with it, “I was actually scared that you didn’t want to return.. I still hate myself for letting him kick you out, I’m so sorry Fareeha, I-..”  
“Stop it, habibti”, she interrupts her, kissing the top of her head, “I’m the one who has to apologize for how I have acted.”  
Angela shakes her head, moving so she can look at Fareeha.  
“You don’t have to apologize, Schatz”, she says, “You have to know that, okay?”

She presses several small kisses on her cheek and her lips before she pulls away to look at her.  
Fareeha looks at her with so much love and adoration, Angela feels like her heart is going to burst with emotion.

“Okay..”, Fareeha whispers, smiling softly before she leans in to kiss Angela again, which she happily accepts.  
Angela turns her body so she is facing Fareeha now, wrapping her arms around her neck as she deepens the kiss.

Fareeha notices the eagerness behind Angela’s actions and smiles into the kiss, before she pulls away when she feels her own heartbeat getting faster.  
“You take my breath away baby..”, she mumbles, using her hand to move the few lose strands of Angela’s hair behind her ear.  
“Sorry about that..”, Angela mutters quietly, looking up at Fareeha with big blue eyes.

Fareeha strokes Angela’s cheek, already feeling herself getting lost in her gaze.  
“Gosh..”, she whispers, “I love you so much.”  
“I love you too”, Angela says, placing her hand on top of her fiancée’s, “So much, mein Liebling..”

Fareeha’s eyes widen when the blonde moves her hand towards her mouth, kissing the tip of her thumb before she places it between her lips.  
She lets out a small gasp when Angela pushes the finger in her mouth, gently sucking on it as she doesn’t break eye contact with the Egyptian whose body seems to be completely frozen.  
“Oh god..”

A soft blush covers Angela’s cheeks when she releases the finger, noticing how Fareeha’s chest rises up and down, her breathing heavy.  
Fareeha just stares at Angela in a mix of surprise and arousal before she places her hand on the back of her head to pull her face closer.   
“Do you want to go inside?”  
Angela nods slowly, looking into Fareeha’s eyes.  
“Mhm.”

 

Fareeha runs her hands down Angela’s sides, stroking the soft skin and admiring every curve as they hold each other close.   
Angela’s kisses get needier every second, making Fareeha feel high on excitement.  
She can’t control how her thighs tense and release rhythmically, making her grind against the woman on top of her who presses herself down against her.

Angela lets out a low moan when Fareeha places her hands on her backside before squeezing it firmly.  
She stops kissing her for a second to try and catch her breath as the pleasure starts building up, but Fareeha starts kissing her neck instead, sucking on the soft skin before running her tongue along the mark.

Angela closes her eyes, holding onto her partner’s strong arms to support her own weight as she tries to sit up to move a little faster.  
Fareeha lifts her upper body as well to continue her kisses and caresses down her neck to her voluminous chest.  
The Swiss woman mewls when she feels Fareeha’s tongue on the sensitive skin, giving her goosebumps and making the blush on her cheeks grow even redder.

“Schatz, I need more..”, she whispers, looking down at Fareeha with lust clouded eyes, “Please..”  
Fareeha looks up at her from between her breasts, giving them a few more kisses and squeezes before she places her hands on Angela’s hips to maneuver them around.   
Angela bites her lip when Fareeha presses her body on the mattress, her back facing her.  
She turns her head to watch the woman above her who is straddling the back of her thighs, running her hands along Angela’s back and massaging her.  
She lets out a long groan when Fareeha digs her thumbs into her muscles, making her shiver in pleasure and excitement.

Fareeha feels herself starting to salivate at the sight of her fiancée’s naked body, leaning down to place a few open mouthed kisses on her lower back and her butt.  
“You’re so beautiful, habibti”, she mutters between kisses, letting one hand trail between the blonde’s legs to feel the wetness coating her fingers, “All for me..”  
She leans forward so her body is pressed against Angela’s and she can kiss her cheek.

“Please..”, Angela whispers again, pressing her backside against Fareeha repeatedly.  
The Egyptian smiles at her actions, using one hand to push Angela down against the mattress as she lifts herself up and starts moving in a slow rhythm, grinding herself against her.  
Angela lets out another low moan as she moves with the woman, enjoying the way she holds her down.

Fareeha makes sure that Angela is completely comfortable before she starts going a little faster, using more force behind her thrusts when Angela’s breathing starts to get faster and her moans a little louder.  
She holds onto her hips and pulls her up so she can sneak one hand between her thighs where Angela needs her the most.

Angela whimpers softly when she enters her, spreading her legs a little further and resting her head on the pillow when Fareeha leans down to kiss her shoulders.  
“Oh gott..”, she mumbles between pants, moving her hips in sync with Fareeha’s thrusts.

Fareeha’s heart races at the sight, Angela’s innocent but incredibly sexy face and the lewd noises filling the room.  
She’s so turned on, it’s been far too long and both of them needed this more than they would ever admit.

Angela turns her head again, looking back at her fiancée.  
Even in this position she’s looking at her with so much love and so much devotion, which only spurs Fareeha on even more.  
A third finger makes Angela open her mouth in a silent gasp, her brow furrowing in pleasure.

She buries her face in the pillow, moaning loudly when Fareeha speeds her fingers up, noting how Angela’s body responds to her actions.  
Her fingers grip the blanket underneath her, pulling on it, her back arches, giving Fareeha more access and her legs tense before giving in to the pleasure.

Fareeha knows that she is close so she stops what she is doing and sits up to position herself at the end of the bed, letting Angela catch her breath for a second, but before she can actually calm down, she feels Fareeha’s head between her thighs, making her heart stop for a second.

Angela closes her eyes again, not even able to form any coherent words as her partner goes down on her, kissing and licking the most sensitive skin as she continues thrusting her fingers to pleasure her.  
Her body twitches and contorts under Fareeha’s skilled movements, bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

The groans and whimpers get louder and more desperate the closer she gets, Fareeha feels it, so she spreads Angela’s thighs further apart so she can really dive in, humming at the sweet taste of her beautiful fiancée.  
The vibrations send shivers up her spine, through her whole body and make the blonde gasp. Her limbs tense, her heart is about to burst and everything seems to spin as she lets out a shuddering moan, making Fareeha grin with pride.

 

Fareeha looks out of the window where the moon and stars try to outshine each other.  
There aren’t any street lamps in this neighborhood, allowing the sky to show its full potential.  
A calm and beautiful night.

She looks to her right when the blanket moves a little.   
Angela seems to notice that Fareeha is awake, pulling herself closer towards her and resting her head on her biceps.  
“Hmmm..”  
Fareeha tries to pull the blanket up to cover Angela’s naked back without waking her up, carefully tucking her in, but the woman stirs in her sleep before slowly opening her eyes.

“Schatz..”, she whispers, still holding onto Fareeha’s arm, “You’re awake..”  
“Shh..”  
She smiles softly, stroking Angela’s head.  
“Go back to sleep..”  
“Did you have a nightmare?”, Angela asks, attempting to sit up and turn on the lamp but Fareeha stops her.   
“No, not tonight”, she tells her, making her lay down again, “I’m good.”

Angela nods slowly, before smiling in relief and closing her eyes again.  
“Okay..”, she whispers, kissing Fareeha’s shoulder softly, “I was worried..”  
“No need to worry”, Fareeha says, moving on her side so she can wrap her arms around her.  
She looks at Angela’s face, which is illuminated by the moonlight, making her look even more angelic.

This is her woman, her Angela.  
They are gonna be married, they are gonna be a family.  
This is Fareeha’s life. This isn’t a dream.   
Or is it?

She leans forward, placing a kiss on Angela’s forehead.  
“Try to go back to sleep, okay?”  
She chuckles softly when Angela is already snoring quietly in the safety and warmth of Fareeha’s arms.  
She closes her eyes as well, burying her face in Angela’s hair.  
“I love you, ya amar.”

This night is peaceful, one of the best nights Fareeha has had in a long time.   
She doesn’t have any nightmares.   
Instead she dreams of the sky, of white clouds and the mountains, of big trees and beautiful flowers and a house.

She dreams of Angela.   
She looks different, a little older, but she looks so happy with that big smile on her face.

And in that moment Fareeha knows it.  
She’s home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter everyone, wow.  
> I know it’s not the longest story, it only has 10 chapters but the support and love I received really helped me through a lot and pushed me to keep writing and to stay productive, you have no idea how much every single comment, no matter how long or short meant to me.
> 
> So yeah, stay tuned for the next chapter! I hope you’ll love it!
> 
> And I’m probably gonna write a second part to this, I already have most of it planned out and I’d love to continue their story if people want to read it.
> 
> xx Caro :)


	10. To Angela and Fareeha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people!
> 
> The chapter I’ve been dying to write and to show you guys, angst-free, sweet and filled with sweet talk, loooots of sweet talk! (I got caries just by writing this.)
> 
> The song I’m using later on is “Next to me” by Imagine Dragons, you can listen to it while reading, I tried to time it like I did before.
> 
> I hope you’ll enjoy this final chapter of Swiss Disaster! :)

“Uuuuund.. Fertig! (Aaaaand.. Ready!)”, Nora says, moving away from Angela’s head after she adjusted the golden jewelry in her hair.  
Angela smiles happily, turning her head side to side to have a better look at the beautiful hairstyle in the mirror.  
Nora has really outdone herself. She curled every strand of Angela’s hair before putting it into a simple but very elegant updo, a few curls hanging out in the front to frame her face.

“Danke Nora, ich liebe es! (Thank you Nora, I love it!)” she says, getting up from her chair and turning around to give her a big hug.  
Nora smiles widely as she returns the hug before she takes a few steps back to stand next to their mother, who is already using a tissue to wipe away her tears.

“Mama..”, Angela sighs with a sympathetic smile before she approaches her, “Komm, bitte nicht weinen, sonst muss ich auch weinen (Come on, please don’t cry or I have to cry as well.)”  
Alva shakes her head, trying to wave Angela off as she tries to contain herself.  
“Tut mir leid, Süße (I’m sorry, Sweetheart)”, she mutters with a small sniffle, “Du bist einfach so wunderschön (You’re just so beautiful.)”  
Angela smiles softly, tracing her hand along the fabric of the dress. 

Months of planning, of stressful decisions, long telephone calls and emotional and tearful wedding dress shopping all lead up to this day.  
And what a nice day it is.  
The weather is perfect on this sunny spring morning and Angela can see everyone gathering in front of the doors when she looks out of the window.  
Colleagues, friends and family are chatting with excitement and happy faces, eager to go inside when the doors finally open.

Angela turns her head when she hears the door to her room open as well, revealing Hannes in his suit and a bouquet in his hand.  
“Hey Papa..”, Angela greets him with a smile, walking towards her father who seems to be completely thunderstruck.  
He stares at his daughter with big eyes before he hands her the bouquet.  
“Und? (And?)”, she asks, holding the skirt of her dress to twirl around, “Was meinst du? (What do you think?)”  
“Ich, ähm.. (I, um..)”, Hannes mutters, shaking his head in disbelief as he looks at the bride in front of him, “Du siehst so wunderschön aus, mein Engel. Ich weiß gar nicht was ich sagen soll.. (You look so beautiful, my angel. I don’t even know what to say..)”

Angela smiles happily, looking down at her feet.  
“Danke.. Hast du an die Kette gedacht? (Thank you.. Did you remember the necklace?)”  
“Oh, ach ja (Oh right)”, Hannes says, reaching into his pocket to take out the golden necklace with the eye of horus that Fareeha got her for her birthday, “Soll ich dir helfen? (Want me to help you?)”  
“Mhm, ja bitte (Yes please.)”

Angela turns around so Hannes can place the necklace around her neck, making sure the pendant is in the front.  
“So.. (There you go.)”  
Angela looks at herself in the mirror, holding the bouquet in both hands as she smiles at herself.  
Hannes smiles at her through the reflection.  
“Mein kleines Mädchen.. (My little girl..)”

 

In the room on the opposite side of the floor, Fareeha is in the same position, looking at herself in the mirror.  
She fixes the collar of her shirt before she tries to tie the black band of her bowtie, but she only manages to mess it up even more with each try.

“What are you doing, Fareeha?”, Ana asks when she sees her daughter fiddling with the fabric in her hands, “Here let me help you.”  
Fareeha sighs in defeat, taking a step back and bending down a little so Ana can properly tie the bow before she uses her hand to flatten out the shirt and the suit Fareeha is wearing.  
“There..”, she says before looking up at her daughter, standing on her toes to run her fingers through her hair, “Perfect.”

Fareeha smiles softly before she looks back into the mirror.  
“Today’s the day.”  
“Today’s the day”, Ana repeats with a nod, standing besides Fareeha as they both look at their reflection.  
“Gosh, you’ve gotten big..”  
“Moooom..”  
Ana chuckles, wrapping her arm around Fareeha’s waist as she pulls her closer.  
“Don’t ‘mooom’ me, habibti. I have every right to get sappy today!”  
Fareeha rolls her eyes but doesn’t manage to hide her smile.  
“Okay, okay..”

A knock on the door interrupts the scene as Jesse opens the door a bit, staying outside on the floor to not disturb them.  
“Ya got five more minutes.”  
“Alright, thanks Jesse”, Ana says before looking back at her daughter.  
She rubs her back reassuringly when she sees how nervous Fareeha has gotten all of a sudden.

“Come on now, don’t be nervous”, she tells her, “Everything’s gonna be alright.”  
“Is Angela ready?”, Fareeha asks, looking at her mother, “She’s still here, right?”  
Ana rolls her eyes.  
“Fareeha, she didn’t run away. I checked on her before I came here, she’s ready and super happy and excited to finally see you.”  
Fareeha sighs in relief.  
“What does she look like?”  
Ana grins softly.  
“You’ll be blown away, she looks absolutely gorgeous. Just like you.”  
Fareeha starts smiling again, straightening her back as she looks at herself in the mirror. 

“I’m so proud of you, habibti”, Ana continues, buttoning Fareeha’s suit, “You’ve grown so much, not just physically. Also as a person. I really messed up with being a good mother, but you have to trust me when I say that there hasn’t been a day, not even one day, where I wasn’t proud of you. I have always been. And that won’t ever change.”

“You’re the best mother anyone could ask for, mom”, Fareeha says, looking at the woman in front of her, “I love you.”  
Ana smiles when her daughter wraps her arms around her, giving her a big hug.  
“I love you too.”  
“Thank you so much”, Fareeha says, still hugging Ana tightly, “For everything.”  
“Pff, don’t thank me, Malak, really-..”  
“Shh”, Fareeha interrupts her, “I said thank you. Accept it.”

Ana wants to hide how much Fareeha’s gratitude means to her, years of fear that her daughter might never forgive her for what has happened still showing, but Fareeha sees the way her eyes shine with happiness and love, how she tries to swallow the lump in her throat so she doesn’t get too emotional.

They both hug for a few more moments before Ana pulls away.  
“Alright..”, she says, clearing her throat before she smiles up at her daughter, “Ready?”  
“Mhm.”  
Fareeha nods with a smile, holding out her arm for Ana to hold.  
“I’m ready.”

 

Fareeha stands in front of all the guests, waiting impatiently for Angela to join her.  
Everyone is seated, talking quietly and waiting as well.  
Next to her is Jesse, wearing a black suit just like Fareeha with his hair gelled back.  
Fareeha would have laughed if she wasn’t so nervous at the moment.

Nora arrives on the opposite side of them with Alva, who sits down in the first row right next to Reinhardt, who seems to be just as emotional as her.  
The woman gives a thumbs up, making sure the omnic behind Fareeha knows that the bride is ready.

Zenyatta looks at Fareeha, waiting for her approval, before he uses his power to fill the room with a warm, golden aura.  
The guests stop talking when a melody starts playing, everyone standing up and turning towards the doors at the end of the aisle. 

The Egyptian takes a deep breath, making sure she is standing upright as she tries to stay calm and collected.  
She glances at her mother who is standing next to Reinhardt. She gives her a reassuring smile and a nod before she turns around as well. 

Her heart skips a beat when the doors open and reveal the true personification of an angel.  
Fareeha thinks she suddenly forgot how to breathe when she sees her.  
Next to Hannes, holding onto his arm, is her fiancée, glowing with happiness and a big smile on her face.  
She’s wearing an elegant ivory dress with a deep v-neck and lacey sleeves which looks like a second skin on her body, that’s how perfect it fits her.  
Fareeha thinks that she was born to wear that dress, this day and this scene were just meant to be, she knows it.  
Angela looks like a goddess.

Father and daughter start walking down the aisle towards her, letting everyone admire the beauty of the bride, but Angela’s eyes are fixed on Fareeha, not looking anywhere else.  
Fareeha doesn’t even notice that she is still holding her breath as her eyes start watering, making her swallow hard to not start crying.  
Jesse notices how emotional she is getting and smirks, playfully patting her shoulder before rubbing her back.

Angela smiles at her with gleaming eyes as she approaches her slowly, letting go of her father’s arm when they reach the front.  
Fareeha wipes her eyes with a small chuckle, before she looks at Hannes, who is holding out his hand.  
He shows her a small smile as they shake hands and gives Angela a kiss on the forehead before he steps aside to sit down next to his wife.

Fareeha smiles at the bride in front of her as she reaches for her hands.  
“You look stunning”, she mouths, making Angela’s smile grow even bigger.  
“So do you.”

“Friends, we have joined here today to share with Angela and Fareeha an important moment in their lives”, Zenyatta starts to speak, his calm voice filling the room, “Their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one.”

He continues his speech, talking about relationships and marriage, but the couple doesn’t seem to really hear what he is saying.  
Both of them are completely hypnotized by one another, wrapped in a warm and cozy bubble of love and happiness.  
They look at each other, stroke each other’s hands and smile whenever their eyes meet.

From time to time one of their glances wander to the rows of guests, where all of their friends are sitting.  
Fareeha has to stifle a laugh when she sees Reinhardt and Alva quietly crying their eyes out while their partners have to soothe them. 

Zenyatta looks at both of them before floating away from the middle, signalizing that it’s time for them to say their vows.

“Fareeha..”, Angela starts, looking up at her with a big smile, “I’ve waited my whole life for this day and I’m so excited and overjoyed that I get to spend it with you. You’ve made me the luckiest woman on earth and you keep proving it every day, whether it’s your humor, your kind and generous soul or your sweet and loving words.  
This relationship has contained some of the best and some of the most challenging days of our lives. It would be safe to say that this relationship has been exposed to some pretty high pressure situations, much behind our years. Yet these situations have been excellent opportunities to lean on one another and to trust our love.”

Fareeha nods slowly, listening closely to Angela’s words as she smiles softly.

“Today I vow to trust this love forever.  
I vow to celebrate life’s greatest joys with you.  
I vow to support you in any way I can to celebrate your victory or to console your defeat.  
I vow to cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before.  
I choose you to be my wife, Fareeha. And I couldn’t be happier.”

The Egyptian lifts Angela’s hand to give it a soft kiss, before she takes a deep breath to present her own vows.  
Her heart is beating so intensely, she doesn’t even know if she can hear her own words.

“Angela..”, Fareeha says, holding her hands as she looks right into her eyes, “You’re such a gifted, talented and strong woman. You’ve been my role model, my lover, my best friend.  
We’ve been through so much together and even during the tough times I watched you love me, protect me, learn from me, laugh with me and you cared deeper for me than I have ever seen anyone care before. You keep showing this ferocious love that I didn’t know could exist. In such a difficult time it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.  
I vow that I will bring that kind of love to you and our family.  
To dedicate my heart to you, no matter where we are and what circumstances we find ourselves in.  
You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you.”  
Angela smiles softly, overcome with emotion.  
“I love you too.”

Zenyatta appears behind them with a small box floating in front of him.  
They both reach inside as the omnic announces the ring exchange.

“I, Angela, give you, Fareeha, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you. I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.”

“I, Fareeha, give you, Angela, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you. In the presence of our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

A loud sob coming from Reinhardt followed by him blowing his nose makes the couple and the guests laugh.  
With shaky hands the women place the rings on each other’s finger, before holding their hands again with big smiles on their faces.

Zenyatta raises his arms, a golden light surrounding him and the couple as he speaks a prayer and blesses them in the name of the Iris.

“Fareeha, Angela..”, he says, looking at both of them, “I am more than happy to see you together, standing strong and proud and ready for what this life is going to bring. I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness and may the years ahead be filled with lasting joy. I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now seal this bond with a kiss.”

They both grin widely as Fareeha leans in to give her a gentle but meaningful kiss, but to her surprise Angela wraps her arms around her neck, pulling her closer as she kisses her deeply.

The guests start cheering and clapping their hands, followed by a few whistles as the pair embraces each other, before Zenyatta raises his arms again.  
“I present to you the newly married couple, Angela and Fareeha!”

Everyone stands up as they keep applauding.  
Fareeha smiles widely as every last bit of nervousness leaves her body, raising hers and Angela’s intertwined hands as everyone watches them walk away from the altar, slowly making their way out of the big room.

 

After the ceremony, everyone heads over to the main hall, a big fancy room with great chandeliers and white tables with floral decorations on top of it.  
Angela and Fareeha enter the room after taking several photos, some of only the two of them and probably hundreds with their parents and their friends.  
Everyone applauds when they see the newlyweds, cheering and congratulating them when they walk past.

Angela and Fareeha greet the guests as soon as everyone reaches their seats at the many tables, thanking them for coming and celebrating with them before they open the humongous buffet of Swiss and Egyptian food. 

They eat and talk and laugh with everyone, listening to what’s going on in each other’s lives. The agents talk about the recall and how things are going to continue when the Swiss headquarters are finally rebuilt, which everyone is really excited about. Especially the old agents can’t wait to step foot in their old workplace again.

“I definitely knew there was something going on between them from the moment they met again!”, Lena says, followed by a chuckle. After things have calmed down and everyone is happily sated and relaxed, some guests decide that they would like to say a few words.  
“I mean, really. It was totally obvious that the ‘gals-being-pals’-thing wasn’t good enough to really define their relationship. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about!”

“It’s super crazy to see the kid that used to chase me with a plastic gun and always steal my shit all grownup and married”, Jesse says, “And it’s even crazier to see that sometimes your childhood crush can end up as your wife someday.”  
The guests chuckle and Angela has to stifle a giggle when they see the blush on Fareeha’s face.

“It’s nice to know that some soldiers end up living the life they want”, Jack says, looking at the pair with a serious but generous face, “You two deserve it and I’m very happy for you.”

“I’m very happy to officially welcome you all to Interlaken!”, Adrian says with his commercial grin, “And most importantly I want to welcome our new Swiss citizen Fareeha! Auf einen guten Start! (Here’s to a good start!)

“I’m just.. s-so proud..”, Reinhardt stutters, his lip trembling as he tries to keep it together while Ana holds his hand, “I still remember how.. how cute Fareeha was when she was little and how she..”  
He sniffles softly, wiping his nose as his voice turns into a high pitched whimper.  
“How she begged me to carry her on my shoulders through the whole base..”

“Many people ask me how I reacted when I found out that my daughter fell in love with our doctor”, Ana tells the guests, “I have to be honest, I was completely fine when I noticed how much Fareeha fancied Angela. I was relieved that she didn’t end up developing a crush on Jesse which was my biggest concern at the moment.”  
Everyone laughs at Jesse’s offended look on his face. 

“Nothing can prepare a father for the day that he stands here at his daughter’s wedding”, Hannes starts, a glass of champagne in his hand, “Angela has in so many ways made my life complete. You and your sister, you are everything a dad could wish for. And from the day you were born to now, you have made me so proud. Not only with your academic achievements or your amazing ability to make everyone around you feel accepted and appreciated, but with your awesome positivity about everything. Angela, you’re many many times wiser than your age suggests.” 

Fareeha smiles as she watches the interaction between Hannes and her wife, holding her hand and stroking it with her thumb as Angela listens to her father with a soft smile on her lips.

“Today I’m gonna step aside as number one”, Hannes continues, “And there are probably many of other fathers in this room, that understand that you have so much passion and so much admiration for that position of knowing that you’re your daughter’s number one. And yet the reality is that I have to step aside..”

He switches his glance from his daughter to Fareeha, making the Egyptian swallow hard as she still holds Angela’s hand. 

“And I’m being completely honest when I’m saying that this is a very difficult thing for me.”

Angela looks away from her father at Fareeha, noticing how tense she is getting, worry written all over her face.  
She moves closer, placing her hand around her shoulders before she looks back at her father, preparing herself for his next words.

Hannes stares at Fareeha as he takes a deep breath.  
His face is completely unreadable, and it doesn’t help the uneasiness building up inside of her.

“And yet..”, Hannes starts again, “It’s amazing how much at peace I am with it.. because of who Fareeha is.”

Fareeha’s eyes widen in surprise.

“I’m stepping aside to give this woman the responsibility of keeping my daughter safe and happy. I’m sure you can all agree that this couple loves each other immensely. The way they look at each other, the way they speak to each other, the little touches of reassurance and the sparkle in their eyes when they meet.”

Angela and Fareeha look at each other, the nervous frown now replaced by a relieved smile before Angela places a soft kiss on her lips.

“I would like to wish them all the love, happiness, health, luck and prosperity for their future”, Hannes says, looking at both of them before he raises his glass, “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you now to stand and raise your glasses for this beautiful couple, to Angela and Fareeha.”

The guests stand up as they raise their glasses as well.  
“To Angela and Fareeha!”  
The couple gets up as well, walking over to Hannes to give him a hug.  
“Danke, Papa..”, Angela mutters as he wraps her arms around her father, “Ich hab dich so lieb.. (I love you so much..)”  
“Ich dich auch, meine Kleine.. (I love you too, little one.)”

 

The day passes way too fast.  
After several games that mostly consisted of embarrassing the other one, cutting the wedding cake, which ended in a big mess between the women when feeding each other turned into creative action painting, and dancing together to their favorite songs, Fareeha is nowhere to be found after she excused herself for a second.

Angela walks around the hall where everyone is dancing and having fun, asking around if anyone has seen her, but nobody can help her. 

“Ana?”, she says as she approaches the woman who is talking to Jack and a few other guests, “Sorry for interrupting, but do you know where Fareeha is?”  
“She’s not with you?”, Ana asks, raising her eyebrow, “Did she tell you where she went?”  
“No”, Angela says, shaking her head.  
She looks over to Jack but he seems to be just as clueless.

“Hm, okay, thanks anyway!”, she says with a smile, before she walks away to keep looking.  
She notices how the guests around her turn around when the music and the lights start to fade.  
She raises her head when everyone starts cheering, turning around to look into the face of her wife who’s standing on the stage at the edge of the dance floor, holding a guitar in her hands while the band they hired for the party stands behind her, everyone in position and ready to play.

“Hey everyone..”, Fareeha says with a crooked smile, waving at the guests as they all get quiet to listen to her, “Where are you, habibti?”  
Angela shakes her head with a chuckle before she walks towards the stage.  
Fareeha smiles when she sees her, gripping the instrument in her hands as she feels her heart beat like it’s about to explode.

“Soooo..”, she says, strumming the guitar before she adjusts the microphone in front of her, “Those who were at Angela’s birthday party last year know that I played a song for her as a little surprise. The morning after, she asked me if I could sing for her again and to be honest, I swore to myself that I would NEVER do that again, I almost pissed my pants when I stood in front of everybody and found out it was too late for a backtrack.”

Angela chuckles a little, looking up at her wife with a smile that melts Fareeha’s heart.  
“But.. I genuinely don’t know why I let myself do this all the time, but here I am on stage and again, it’s too late to back out, so yeah..”  
She looks down at Angela, forgetting about everyone else in the room.

“I’m not a perfect person, I’m far from it actually”, Fareeha says softly, “I messed up a lot of times, I did reckless things, dumb things.. And still you agree to spend the rest of your life with me.”  
She smiles softly as she meets her eyes.  
“You saved me, Angela. Your words, your warmth and your love saved me. You make me happy and show me how wonderful life is, you build me up and let me breathe when I feel like I’m suffocating in darkness and I’m not lying when I’m saying that you, Angela, are the reason I’m still standing here right now.”

Angela places her hands on her chest, right above her heart as she listens to her wife’s words, her eyes already starting to glimmer.

Fareeha takes a deep breath, chuckling as she tries to blink her own tears away.  
“Oh man, people are recording this, I know that there are some jerks among you guys that will hold this against me forever.”  
She looks down at her fingers as she positions them correctly, picking the strings as some of the guests laugh.  
“Anyway..”, she mutters, before looking back at Angela, “I’m so happy and honored that I get to call you my wife, ya amar. This is for you. I love you.”

Angela is still resting her hands above her heart as she watches Fareeha play a sweet melody, listening to the instrument and smiling at the way she nods her head to the music.  
Fareeha sways to the rhythm as her fingers pick the strings and she takes a deep breath before she leans closer to the microphone.

“Something about the way that you walked into my living room, casually and confident looking at the mess I am, but still you.. still you want me..”, she sings, keeping her eyes closed to concentrate on her voice, “Stress lines and cigarettes, politics and deficits, late bills and overages, screamin' and hollerin', but still you.. still you want me..”

She opens her eyes and smiles when some of the guests cheer and whistle, giving her confidence.

“Oh, I always let you down. You're shattered on the ground, but still I find you there, next to me.”  
Angela nods her head to the music like Fareeha does, still not over how talented her wife actually is.  
“And oh, stupid things I do. I'm far from good, it's true, but still I find you, next to me.”

Fareeha meets Angela’s gaze, her eyes softening visibly.

“There's something about the way that you always see the pretty view, overlook the blooded mess, always looking effortless, and still you.. still you want me.”  
She grins when she sees the mix of surprise and admiration on Angela’s face.  
“I got no innocence, faith ain't no privilege, I am a deck of cards, vice or a game of hearts, and still you.. still you want me.”

Fareeha takes a few steps back from the microphone, swinging the guitar like a rockstar before she moves closer again.

“Oh, I always let you down. You're shattered on the ground, but still I find you there, next to me.”  
She looks at the guests, watching how the rows sway together.  
“And oh, stupid things I do. I'm far from good, it's true, but still I find you, next to me.”

She lets go of the instrument, letting the guitar hang around her neck as she takes the microphone.

“So thank you for taking a chance on me”, she sings without any music as she looks at Angela, “I know it isn't easy, but I hope to be worth it.”  
Angela knows that Fareeha is trying her hardest to keep it together, she can see it.  
“So thank you for taking a chance on me. I know it isn't easy, but I hope to be worth it.”  
Angela nods slowly, making sure Fareeha sees it as she smiles at her with teary eyes.

“Oh, I always let you down”, Fareeha sings as she strums the strings again, “You're shattered on the ground, but still I find you there, next to me.”  
She stops holding back, letting Angela know that she truly means what she is singing.  
“And oh, stupid things I do. I'm far from good, it's true, but still I find you, next to me.”

The guests erupt into big applause and cheers as Fareeha tries to catch her breathe, watching how her wife rushes up the stairs to meet her on the stage.

“Oh my god!”, she exclaims as she hugs her tightly, letting a few tears make their way down her cheeks, “That was so good, Schatz, so perfect! Thank you so much!”  
Fareeha chuckles when Angela leans against her to kiss her, wrapping her arms around her neck.  
“No need to thank me”, she says between kisses, “I love you, habibti.”

 

It’s already dark outside, millions of stars shining through the night as Angela and Fareeha run out of the hall onto the big balcony, trying to catch their breath between laughter.  
Angela reaches the railing first, leaning against the stone as she looks up at the sky when suddenly strong arms wrap around her waist, making her shriek before bursting into giggles as Fareeha spins her around.

The Egyptian places Angela down again as both of them pant quietly.  
“We did it”, Fareeha mutters, holding the blond woman close.  
“We sure did”, Angela says, resting her head against Fareeha’s chest as they both admire the view.  
In the distance they can see the water of the lakes, the moon shining in the reflection and making the scenery look like a poem.

“I’m so happy, Schatz..”, Angela says, snuggling closer to Fareeha, who rubs her back gently, “My wife..”  
“So am I”, Fareeha mutters, kissing the top of Angela’s head, “And excited.. Very excited.”

Angela looks up at her, knowing eyes sparkling in the moonlight.  
Fareeha grins as she leans in to kiss her softly, her hand trailing down Angela’s stomach.

“Did you tell anyone..?”  
“Not yet..”

Angela has to chuckle at Fareeha’s dopey grin, opening the jacket of her suit to wrap it around herself.  
They stay like this for a while, embracing each other and enjoying the peaceful night while the party goes on inside the hall.  
Fareeha stares into the night, slowly zoning out as reality hits her.

It still feels so surreal.  
Here she is, a former soldier of the egyptian army, security chief of Helix international and an official Overwatch agent, married to the love of her life, who is not only an amazing and talented surgeon and biologist, but also the most loving and accepting human being she has ever met, and they are going to spend the rest of their lives together as a family.  
Fareeha still can’t believe that this is all happening.

“You’re dreaming, Schatz”, Angela says with a little chuckle, stroking Fareeha’s cheek.  
“I’m sorry.. Do you wanna go back inside?”  
“No. This is comfortable.”  
Angela clings to Fareeha’s body, making Fareeha’s pride swell even more.  
The Egyptian smiles at her, making sure her jacket is keeping the woman warm.

She is almost certain that Angela fell asleep in her arms, that’s how long they’ve just been standing there together.  
She tries not to move, holding the woman like a delicate piece of art.

After a few more minutes she moves Angela’s bangs out of her face, trying to look at her face to check on her.

“Habibti..”, she whispers carefully, “Hey..”  
“Mhh.”  
“I have to tell you something.”  
“Hm? What is it?”  
“Ich liebe dich.”

Angela has to smile at Fareeha’s cute accent.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> Wow, this is it. I officially finished my first story I have ever written and I’m actually kinda proud.  
> I hope you all had as much fun as I did during this process, everyone who left a comment really made my day and seeing that some of you actually stayed with me until the last chapter makes me feel really happy and appreciated, you guys have no idea.
> 
> As I said a few times before, I have so many more ideas how their story is going to continue so I might (and probably will) write a second part of Swiss Disaster, I hope some of you are interested in it hehe.
> 
> Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You’ve given me so much joy over the past few months, please know that the readers are what keeps a writer going.
> 
> Okay enough, I’m starting to bore everyone.
> 
> Thank you for reading my story!
> 
> xx Caro :)


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